PetroEnergy starts supply of additional power to Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Yuchengco-led PetroEnergy Resources Corp. (PERC) has started supplying additional power to the Luzon grid from its Tarlac solar power plant in time to meet the demand spike due to the hot season and for the mid-term elections.

The company said its 20-megawatt (MW) Tarlac-2 solar power project under subsidiary PetroSolar Corp. commenced exporting power to the Luzon grid last Monday as part of the facility’s commissioning tests. 

“PetroSolar is pleased to add power supply to the Luzon grid especially during these times of thinning power reserves that have led to instances of rotating brownouts. Our commissioning of Tarlac-2 supports the Department of Energy’s (DOE) mission of ensuring more power supply as the country heads into the important May elections,” said Dave Gadiano, energy marketing manager of PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC), the renewable energy unit of PERC.

The first transmittal of generated power from Tarlac-2 comes three months after PetroSolar filed the requisite application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

The project also complied with the metering and connection standards of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and market registration requirements of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP).

PERC new ventures officer Claris Canta said the solar power plant was completed in five months, “from the start of foundation piling to export of power.”

She said the facility uses 61,200 units Tallmax TSM PD14A PV panels supplied by China’s Trina Solar and Fronius Eco 27.0 string inverters manufactured in Austria.

“These suppliers, our main EPC contractor Solenergy Systems Inc., electrical subcontractor Philcantech Enterprises, civil works subcontractor Media Construction, and owner’s engineer Green City Solarenergy were all instrumental in PetroSolar achieving this milestone.  When TSPP-2 testing is completed, the total solar capacity of the company will be 70 MW,” Canta said.

Canta said Tarlac-2 would bring in environmental benefits as it is expected to generate 32,000 MWh of power annually, abating the equivalent of about 20,500 tons of CO2 emissions.

Aside from the project’s environmental merit, she said local employment was enhanced during construction with the hiring of more than 300 workers within Tarlac and neighboring provinces.

PetroSolar is a joint venture of PGEC and EEI Power Corp. and also owns the FIT-eligible 50-MW Tarlac-1 solar power facility. Both Tarlac-1 and Tarlac-2 plants are located in Central Technopark industrial zone in Tarlac City.