The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has authorized San Miguel Corp.’s Mariveles Power Generation Corp. (MPGC) to develop and connect the initial phase of its 1,200-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Mariveles, Bataan, to the Luzon grid.
The ERC approved the construction of point-to-point limited facilities costing P1.867 billion to connect eight 150-MW coal plant units to the Luzon grid via the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ (NGCP) Alasasin 500-kilovolt (kV) substation.
“For MPGC to continue the commercial operations of its CFPP [coal-fired power plant], the same should remain connected to the grid. Thus, the development of the subject facilities is necessary to enable the said connection and to allow MPGC to supply power to the grid,” the ERC said in its decision.
MPGC hired Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp. (MIESCOR) for the supply, construction and installation of the facilities. The ERC noted that the contractor is accredited by NGCP and is “deemed to possess the technical capability and competence” to construct and develop the facilities.
The regulator, however, denied MPGC’s request for authority to operate the point-to-point facilities. It said NGCP, which is mandated under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the nationwide electrical grid, should operate and maintain the facilities subject to applicable charges to MPGC.
The 1,200-MW coal plant, employing circulating fluidized bed (CFB) technology, is being implemented in phases. Phase one has been in commercial operation since March 2024, and the succeeding phases are expected to be completed in 2029, the ERC said.
The regulator denied MPGC’s application to connect Phase two, saying the company failed to submit sufficient documentation or supporting evidence, particularly with respect to project costing, to justify the approval for the development and ownership of the dedicated transmission facilities.
The denial was issued “without prejudice to the filing of a new application.”
Meanwhile, the ERC directed NGCP to expedite the construction of the Marilao 500-kV Substation Project and continue implementing the necessary System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS) to address the overloading issues of the San Jose 500-kV power transformers during N-1 condition.
