The Department of Energy (DOE) expects two geothermal power projects to be completed by the end of the year.
It identified the projects as the 17-megawatt Tiwi binary project and the 29-MW Palayan binary power plant.
Data on committed power projects showed that AP Renewables Inc.’s (APRI) Tiwi binary geothermal project in Tiwi, Albay and Bacman Geothermal Inc.’s (BGI) Palayan binary project in Manito, Albay would be completed by December.
APRI is a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., while BGI is owned by Energy Development Corp.
The DOE said the Palayan binary project was conducting testing and commissioning of connection assets after the major power plant equipment was installed.
The Tiwi binary project is set to conduct testing and commissioning this month to ensure grid capability and compliance tests.
DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said earlier said the agency wanted to fully develop 145 geothermal areas in the country to unlock their generation capacity and help secure the country’s energy requirements.
“According to the recent geothermal inventory efforts of the department, there are 145 geothermal areas in the country, while only seven fields are in operation. We want these potential capacities to be developed,” Guevara said.
Guevara said the Philippines began developing geothermal power since the 1970s and emerged as the second largest producer of geothermal energy in the world until Indonesia outrank the country in 2018.
The Philippines now ranks as the third largest producer next to Indonesia and United States of America.
Guevara said geothermal development and utilization slowed down since 2007, with only 86 MW added in the total installed despite the enactment of the Republic Act No. 9513 or Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
Guevara said the 5.6-MW Bago Binary geothermal power plant and the 20-MW Tanawon geothermal power plant would be online by 2024.
“There is also a total of 381 MW additional capacity from projects that are undergoing pre-feasibility studies,” she said.
Guevara said geothermal and hydro renewable energy sources continue to dominate the country’s RE mix in 2022 with 9.3 percent and 9 percent share in the gross power generation, respectively.
“Despite of the slowdown in the development of geothermal energy based on the Philippine trend, its contribution to the country’s power requirement remains strong as it provides 10,000 gigawatt-hours,” she said.
The DOE also implemented projects to accelerate the development of low to medium enthalpy geothermal resource area mainly for power generation, Guevara said.
These projects aimed to assess the economic feasibility of small-scale geothermal power projects for local power needs and prepare the comprehensive data package showcasing this type of geothermal resource for future private investor participations.