Steag resumes operations of Misamis coal power plant

MANILA, Philippines - Steag State Power Inc (SPI) is set to resume full commercial operations of its 210-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

 In an advisory, SPI said Unit 1, with a net generating output of 105 MW, was synchronized to the Mindanao grid May 30 ahead of its June 1 target.

Unit 2 resumed operations last May 7, after both units shut down on Feb. 27, causing an island-wide blackout in Mindanao.

Without SPI’s capacity, Mindanao suffered two to three-hour rotating blackouts.

This is because the power plant is currently Mindanao’s biggest in terms of unit capacity, accounting for nearly a fifth of the island’s total electricity supply.

SPI power plant manager Carsten Evers said the resumption of the operations could ease the prevailing power shortage in Mindanao.

“We are pleased to announce that Unit 1 has resumed operations and we hope that this added capacity will help improve the critical power supply condition of Mindanao,” he said.

The SPI plant has two identical electric generators, each with a net generating capacity of 105 MW, or a total combined net generating output of 210 MW.

Since start of its full commercial operations in November 2006, SPI has delivered more than 10 billion kilowatt-hour of electric power to the grid, accounting for about a fifth of the island’s total power supply, the company said.

SPI is owned by German company Steag GmbH, with Aboitiz Power Corp. and La Filipina Uygongco Corp. as partners and shareholders.