STO. TOMAS CITY, Batangas – AT the height of the nationwide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) where keeping the lights on is essential, AP Renewables Inc. (APRI) MakBan Geothermal Power Plant managed to resume operation of its Binary Power Plant 11, located at Barangay Sta. Elena, Sto. Tomas City, Batangas, again contributing an additional 2.1 MW net of power to the Grid.
The Binary Plant 11, which was producing 1.45 MW of power was recommended for shutdown last March 6, 2019, as its operation resulted in a 7-MW decrease in the overall performance of the MakBan complex load. Operating the Binary Plant 11 causes a pressure drop in the system which curtails the production of steam for the entire geothermal network.
A binary plant, unlike a conventional geothermal power plant that runs on steam, utilizes waste heat from spent geothermal brine to run the turbine prior to the injection of the brine to the underground reservoir.
APRI MakBan Operations & Maintenance (O&M) and Asset Management (AMT) teams coordinated their efforts to ensure the conversion of the waste heat energy in the brine fluids is optimized to a value that is commercially reliable.
“I’m glad we were able to address the pressure drop problem and resume operations again. This 2.1MW of power is sufficient to power one barangay. This is needed to keep the lights on in homes and in health centers during the ECQ,” Janaurio Maralit, Vice President for MakBan Facilities said.
APRI continues to implement specialized geothermal technology, including steam path modification and gas removal system to improve steam usage at the plant level.
APRI’s geothermal facilities have generally operated at par or better than industry standards. The company routinely evaluates and implements various projects while improving coordination with its steam supplier, the Philippine Geothermal Production Company to improve efficiency levels and counteract the challenges of a declining steam supply. APRI, a wholly owned subsidiary of AboitizPower, is one of the leading geothermal energy producers in the country. It delivers clean and renewable baseload power with two facilities that it operates in Tiwi, Albay; Bay and Calauan, Laguna; and Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
