Dec 8 2010
Energy Development (EDC) has plans of accelerating the rehabilitation of the 150 MW capacity Bacon-Manito Geothermal Power Plant by the middle of 2011. According to Federico Lopez, EDC Chairman, the company was speeding up the Bac-Man Project so that it is ready to be online between 18 and 24 months from September.
They were trying to go for the 18 month period and were also planning to bring the plant to its maximum capacity of 150 MW and sell the additional energy to the consumers in Mindanco and Visayas. Currently the capacity is only 120 MW and they hoped to extend the capacity to 150 MW. He revealed all these details to the reporters, when he attended an energy conference in Dusit, located in Makati City.
Bac-Man Geothermal, corporate vehicle of First Gen, had filed the highest bid for the power plants for an amount of $28.5 million. EDC supplies Bac-Man Geothermal Power Plant steam to be used as a fuel. Richard Tantoco, EDC’s President, remarked that the acquisition of National Power’s geothermal power units was the right step towards future growth. He also revealed that the vertical integration of the Bac-Man Plant would lead to efficient operations. The power plant includes two steam plant units in the Albay and Sorsogon Provinces.