The Energy Regulatory Commission approved the application of Atimonan One Energy Inc. to construct a dedicated point-to-point facility to connect the 1,200-megawatt coal power plant in Quezon province to the New Pagbilao substation of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
The point-to-point facility will allow the plant to connect to the Luzon grid via the new substation.
The point-to-point connection involves the construction of a 23-kilometer transmission line that will cater directly to the coal plant.
ERC directed the company to pay the permit fee with the condition that National Grid will operate the facility and the facility shall be constructed and operated in accordance with the system requirement and solely used for the power plant.
Atimonan One is presently raising P100-billion financing from eight banks for the entire debt requirement of the 1,200-MW coal plant. The financing will be the biggest for the energy sector to date.
Atimonan One, controlled by Meralco PowerGen Corp., is also in the final stage of selecting an engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the plant, which will become the country’s first ultra supercritical power plant.
