GBP completes preventive measures on plants ahead of surge in demand

MANILA, Philippines — Pangilinan-led independent power producer Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) has completed preventive measures on its facilities to support the anticipated increase in energy demand in the last quarter of the year.

In a statement, GBP president Jaime Azurin said the company recently completed preventive maintenance of its Panay and Cebu plants in anticipation of increased economic activity leading to the Christmas holidays.

“We strive to keep our plants in optimum efficiency to help meet Visayas’ demand for reliable, adequate, and cost-efficient power supply,” he said.

Since January, Azurin said the company has been routinely conducting preventive maintenance on all of its circulating fluidized bed (CFB) plants, with the last plant completing the procedure in August.

GBP subsidiaries Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC) and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) operate coal-fired generation plants that produce a total of 246 megawatts (MW) and 314 MW, respectively.

The plants use circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustion technology which minimizes emissions through limestone injection and low combustion temperature.

Based on GBP’s projections, power demand in the Visayas region is expected to grow 5.7 percent in the last quarter due to increased economic activity around the holiday season.

Meanwhile, peak demand is projected to average around 2,147 MW for the last three months of the year.

The Department of Energy, meanwhile, expects demand to peak even higher in the region at 2,299 MW in November.

For 2019, Visayas demand is projected to be highest during the “ber” season, followed by the summer months.

“We see an increase in Visayas energy demand not only due to holiday activities, but also due to completed and ongoing infrastructure projects under the government’s Build Build Build program,” said GBP vice president for commercial and strategy Philip Dasalla.

The projects include the recently operational Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International airport, the ongoing development of the 73-kilometer Metro Cebu Expressway and the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway, the Jalaur River Dam in Iloilo, and several airport upgrades in the region.