Vitol Group delivered the second liquefied natural gas cargo for San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp.’s 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant in Batangas province.
The second LNG cargo was delivered to Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Philippines’ PHLNG—the first operational LNG terminal in the country.
Vitol Asia Pte. Ltd., a trading unit of Vitol Group, delivered the first LNG shipment of 137,000 billion cubic meters in April 2023.
“While this is the second cargo to be delivered by FSU Ish [the first was the STS or ship to ship in Subic], this operation is novel as it is the first STS done while the FSU [floating storage unit] is docked alongside the PHLNG terminal,” said AG&P assistant vice president for commercial operations Sam Ligas.
“The operation showcases to the world the enhanced energy infrastructure in the country with the development and operation of specialized infrastructure such as PHLNG terminal and regasification facility,” Ligas said on his LinkedIn page.
San Miguel Global’s subsidiary South Premiere Power Corp. owns the Ilijan power plant, which resumed operations in May using LNG as fuel. The Ilijan plant stopped operations in June 2022 after its gas sale and purchase agreement with the Malampaya consortium ended.
The reintegration of the Ilijan power plant helped secure the Philippines’ power supply requirements as demand went up due on increased economic activity as the country emerged from the pandemic.
LNG is seen as “transition” fuel, enabling countries to move away from coal power responsibly, without compromising the continuing need of people and economies for affordable and reliable baseload power—while targeting wider adoption of renewable energy over the longer term.