Therma South Inc., a unit of Aboitiz Power Corp., said Friday a unit of its 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Davao City suffered a technical problem, contributing to the power supply deficit in Mindanao.
Aboitiz Power said in a disclosure to the stock exchange unit 1 of the coal plant, with a net capacity of 130 MW, tripped at 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday and needed to be repaired for 14 days.
“After an investigation was conducted, it was found out that the unit has a boiler tube leak. The repairs on unit 1 is expected to last 14 days. Unit 2 [130 MW net] remains operational,” it said.
The technical problem of the coal plant and the low water level at major hydro plants amid the El Niño dry spell contributed to a 150-MW supply deficit in Mindanao on Friday.
Unit 2 of Therma South’s power project started commercial operations in early February. Completion of the unit suffered delays due to some technical issues but the unit still managed to deliver power to customers.
Unit 1 started commercial operations on Sept. 18, 2015.
The coal plant is located in Barangay Binugao, Toril District, Davao City and Barangay Inayawan, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
President Benigno Aquino III led the ceremonial inauguration of the 300-MW power plant on Jan. 8 this year.
“The commercial operations of unit 2 could not have come at a better time as Mindanao suffers from power supply problems brought about by El Niño. TSI will provide much needed baseload power for our customers, hopefully contributing to the long term solution of the Mindanao power problem.,” Therma South president and chief operating officer Sebastian Lacson said earlier.
Therma South’s customers include 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao.
The power plant currently supplies electricity to the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Gen. Santos, Zamboanga, Butuan, Kidapawan, Tagum, Koronadal, Digos, Pagadian and Cotabato.
It also supplies power to the Davao region, Cotabato provinces, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan provinces, Surigao provinces, Zamboanga provinces, parts of Bukidnon and parts of Misamis.
Aboitiz Power is the holding company of the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services.