Geothermal leader Energy Development Corp. has once again proven that geothermal plants can last beyond their average life span of 25 years with the 30th anniversary celebration of its 2nd oldest power plant, Palinpinon-1, located in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
On Thursday morning, EDC celebrated with a Thanksgiving Day and cited five of its employees of the Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field in Valencia as well as gave due recognition to its partners and stakeholders, to include the municipal government and barangay chairpersons of the host communities where the geothermal fields are located.
EDC Negros Island Geothermal Business Unit Head Erwin O. Avante, who was guest speaker in the anniversary celebration, described the commissioning of the 112.5-MW Palinpinon-1 power plant as having brought many breakthroughs to the company.
According to him, the Palinpinon 1 geothermal power plant was commissioned in 1983 following an oil embargo by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Companies 10 years earlier during the Yom Kippur War in the Arab world.
That war resulted in a cut in the global oil supplies by 15 percent, and the Philippines, which imported 95 percent of its energy requirements at the time in the form of oil, suffered setbacks such as gas rationing, longer brownouts and increase in prices of commodities, he said.
The government’s response was the creation of the then PNOC-Energy Development Corp. in 1976 through PD 927 to harness indigenous, renewable, non-oil resources, according to Avante.
EDC’s 112.5MW Palinpinon-1 power plant was commissioned in 1983 to supply power to Negros Island as well as other neighboring provinces in the Visayas region.
“It was a leap of faith but probably one of the greatest decisions ever made by President (Ferdinand) Marcos. Just a little more than a year after, Palinpinon already showed proof of its geothermal abundance,” Avante said.
The company was the first to install power plants next to modular wells in the 60-hectare compact development area in Valencia, the country’s first fast-track power project that was commissioned in just three years and the first to export geothermal power across islands to Negros Occidental, Guimaras, and Panay Island.
Palinpinon-1 has gone beyond the 25-year average lifespan of geothermal plants and with “top-notch maintenance program and expert reservoir management, rest assured that it will continue to run in generating clean power for many generations to come,” Avante said.
While the steamfield in Valencia was operated by then government-owned-and-controlled corporation, PNOC EDC, power plant operations were handled by the National Power Corporation. PNOC EDC became fully privatized in November 2007 and was referred to as EDC from then on. Its first order of the day upon privatization was to acquire all power plants where it supplies steam to ensure a seamless operation and better power plant reliability and efficiency.
In 2009, EDC acquired Palinpinon-1 and Palinpinon-2 here in Negros Oriental and 112.5MW Tongonan-1 in Leyte, through its power generation company, Green Core Geothermal, Inc., making it the world’s largest vertically integrated geothermal company. Tongonan-1 was the first power plant to be commissioned also in 1983 just a few months before Palinpinon-1.
Meanwhile, the five SNGPF employees who were given loyalty awards for 30 years in service are Teofilo Nocete, Ramonito Arong, Edgar Lucero, Rey Genoves and Jeremiah Sarita.
Plaques of appreciation were also given to partner stakeholders to include the municipal government represented by Mayor-Elect Edgar Teves and the three host barangays of Caidiocan, Malaunay and Puhagan.
EDC officials assured they will continue to strive to become not just the biggest geothermal company in the country but to become the number one in geothermal energy worldwide.
Beyond producing steam, EDC has been committed to improving the lives of its host communities and enhancing the environment in its areas of operation.
Its CSR projects have benefited 145,490 individuals and 659 groups since SNGP’s inception. In 2005, CSR evolved into the Community Partnerships Program focused on health, education, livelihood and the environment, said Frances Ariola of EDC’s Public Relations.
EDC has also been committed to greening Negros Oriental since 1989, with more than 1,800 hectares reforested until 2008.
It went on to take reforestation to new heights with the launching of its BINHI Greening Legacy program in 2009, which aimed to plant on 1,000 hectares each year for the next ten years. EDC has planted on 500 more hectares under its BINHI program from 2009-2012. (PNA)
