Aboitiz Group undertakes commissioning testing for Batangas biomass power plant

MANILA, Philippines – The Aboitiz Power Group is now undertaking commissioning and testing for its first biomass power plant in Lian, Batangas targeted under the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme.

Aseagas Corp.’s 8.8-megawatt (MW) biomass plant has started undergoing commissioning, which could take a couple of months before it operates commercially, said Danel Aboitiz, Aboitiz Power Corp.’s executive vice president and COO for its oil business unit.

“(It’s) hard to say, (but commercial operations) should be in the next two months or so. Commissioning is very difficult to predict especially in that technology where it’s our first time to commission that kind of power plant,” he said.

The power plant produces 8.8 MW — which could power up 22,000 households — by processing wastewater directly from Absolut Distillery Inc. in the same location.

Since this is the company’s first biomass plant, AboitizPower will focus first on the existing plant before expanding it, the company official said.

“This is our first biogas plant and at the moment we are focusing on commissioning that first phase,” Aboitiz said.  “Generally, we like to enter into the technology, complete the commissioning and if all goes well then we look at expanding in that fuel.”

The biomass technology is unlike that of mini hydropower plants, where the AboitizPower group has experience in developing.

“Unlike for example our mini hydros where we’ve been doing that for decades now, we are willing to start and develop multiple projects in different parts of the Philippines all at the same time,” Aboitiz said.

Originally planned as a liquid biomethane plant, it was then converted into a biomass plant, using methane to run offer capacity to the grid through the FIT scheme. Under the mechanism, biomass has an allocation target of 250 MW and a FIT rate of P6.63 per kilowatt hour.