EWC gas facility, 2 others are certified energy projects

Of national significance

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Published November 30, 2018, 10:00 PM

By Myrna M. Velasco

The timeline-lapsing gas fired power plant venture of Energy World Corporation (EWC) in Pagbilao, Quezon has secured certification as energy project of national significance (CEPNS) bestowed to it by the Department of Energy.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (Source: https://www.bloomberg.com)

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said he signed recently the CEPNS for the 650-megawatt EWC gas power project,” because we need its capacity to meet our future power demand.”

The proposed EWC gas complex has an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, but it was clarified that it is the power plant component that has been formally declared as EPNS.

Along with the EWC facility, the two other projects that had been granted CEPNS had been: First Quezon Biogas Corporation and DMCI Masbate Power Corporation.

Of the three newly classified power projects, the one that had array of stumbling blocks when it comes to implementation and bringing the plant to completion phase had been the EWC plant.

The project sponsor had constantly raised concerns relating to transmission connection hurdles, but according to sources at the energy department, that’s already being addressed.

As early as 2014, EWC had targeted project completion – and it had gone to the point of offering its capacity to help augment supply deficiency dilemmas in 2015; but snags had that timeline missed.

On the DMCI project of the Consunji group, that is a 15-MW thermal power facility sited in the municipality of Mobo in Masbate province.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the power plant venture had been awarded to Chinese firms China Energy Engineering Group Company and China Southeast Asia Electric Power Construction Corp.

For the biogas project in Candelaria, Quezon province, the technology solutions provider is European firm ABB Ltd. That particular venture commands investment of US$9.7 million and would be able to process up to 20 tons of agricultural waste and turn that into electricity.

The EPNS certification for energy projects had been prescribed under Executive Order No. 30 that was issued by President Rodrigo Duterte last year. This targets to streamline project approvals and permitting processes for qualified projects.

At this stage, the DOE has already issued CEPNS to about 10 projects – ranging from transmission interconnection venture, thermal power assets; energy resource extraction and renewable energy facilities.