Ormin Power starts Mindoro plant

MANILA, Philippines - Ormin Power Inc., a subsidiary of listed company Jolliville Holdings Corp., has recently inaugurated its 6.4-megawatt power plant in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. The plant is expected to produce up to 4,600,000 kilowatt hours per month. Its power output will be sold to Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ormeco) for distribution to end users.

Ormeco’s current peak demand is 28 megawatts and its energy demand is 159,667,000 kilowatts per hour. It distributes power to the entire province of Oriental Mindoro which consists of Calapan City and 14 municipalities including Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao.

“Ormin Power aims to help meet the demand for sufficient and continuous power supply for the increasing number of households, commercial establishments and industries in Oriental Mindoro. Its objectives are in line with the call of the Department of Energy for the need to expand and upgrade power generating facilities throughout the country,” said Boyet Ilagan, the company’s executive vice president.

The 5,000-sq.m. plant is located in Brgy. Sta. Isabel in Calapan and has four modular power generating units and a Heavy Fuel Oil Treatment Unit with a cooling water system and intake air exhaust gas system. The diesel generating set is designed to produce electric power using a Himsen engine manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea.

The 6.4-megawatt facility cost PhP360 million and was partly financed by the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Ormin Power is now also developing a hydro-electric plant along the Inabasan River in San Teodoro municipality. “It will use two Pelton turbines to produce 10 megawatts at 80-percent efficiency. Capacity in the Philippines typically ranges from 35 percent to 65 percent only,” Ilagan said.

“The Ormin Power hydro-electric plant will contribute immensely to the stabilization of power supply, reduce system’s loss, and lower the generation cost mix in Oriental Mindoro,” he added.

Ilagan noted that the international oil price per barrel is continuously increasing and the government faces the challenge of safeguarding the Philippine economy from the adverse effects of soaring petroleum cost.

Developing the country’s hydropower resources is essential to meeting energy demand over the next ten years. The Department of Energy aims to double current generating capacity from hydropower resources by 2013, as provided for under the Renewable Energy Policy Framework.