The Energy Regulatory Commission issued the certificate of compliance to First Gen Corp. for its 414-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas-fired San Gabriel power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas.
First Gen said Wednesday in a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange the San Gabriel facility was the most efficient natural gas-fired power plant in Southeast Asia.
“As part of our commitment to develop competitively-priced and clean sources of energy, we are pleased to announce that the 414-MW San Gabriel power plant has obtained its Certificate of Compliance—the last pre-requisite to commerciality under the WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market),” First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles.
First Gen said the formal release of compliance certificate served as proof that the San Gabriel power plant had complied with all technical and financial requirements before a power generation company could commercially operate a plant.
Philippine Electricity Market Corp., operator of the Wholesale Electriity Spot Market, also acknowledged the change in status of San Gabriel from testing and commissioning to commercial operation, which enables San Gabriel’s participation in the spot market.
“The Flex-Plant is designed to provide baseload, mid-merit, and peaking power dependent on the grid’s demand requirements. This project is vital to First Gen’s planned entry into the LNG supply business in preparation for the eventual depletion of natural gas from Malampaya,” Puno said.
First Gen owns and operates the San Gabriel power plant through wholly-owned subsidiary First Natgas Power Corp, under whose name the certificate was issued.
It said San Gabriel’s operation ensured more stable power supply within the Luzon and Visayas grids.
First Gen tapped Siemens AG for the German company’s latest, highly flexible and 59 percent efficient gas turbine technology, code-named SGT6-8000H and under the brand name “Flex-Plant.”
