2 days ago
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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
March 29, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Business titans Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ramon Ang and Sabin Aboitiz are set to complete the first onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility in the Philippines by the end of next month.
South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) and Excellent Energy Resources Inc. (EERI), the natural gas plants controlled by the tycoons, will implement a scheduled shutdown from March 29 to 31, according to the Department of Energy.
The DOE said the temporary shutdown is essential for the vital mechanical work at Linseed Field Corp.’s LNG terminal, a crucial step toward the completion of the onshore LNG storage tank.
“The LNG terminal is expected to resume sending out gas, enabling EERI to synchronize to the grid by 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, while SPPC Block 1, which requires a longer start-up period, is expected to synchronize by 9 p.m. on the same day,” the DOE said.
Combined, the power plants will have a full capacity of 1,350 megawatts from the current 1,300 MW.
Pangilinan’s Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), Aboitiz-owned Therma Natgas Power Inc. (TNPI) and Ang-led San Miguel Global Power (SMGP) sealed a $3.3-billion LNG deal earlier this year to launch the country’s first integrated LNG facility.
The deal, first reported by The STAR, involves MGen and TNPI jointly investing in SPPC and EERI through their joint venture, Chromite Gas Holdings Inc.
Similarly, Chromite Gas and SMGP also completed the buyout of Linseed Field, the owner and operator of the import and regasification LNG terminal in Batangas.
With the scheduled outage of SPPC and EERI plants, the DOE has encouraged power consumers in Luzon to conserve energy during the weekend.
“The shutdown of these plants has been strategically planned in coordination with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to coincide with lower system demand, minimizing potential supply disruptions,” the DOE said.
Based on initial assessments by the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines, yellow and red alerts are not expected during this period, although power spot market prices may temporarily go up.
“A final assessment will be made once NGCP updates the market management system with the latest outage schedule,” the DOE said.
Power distributor Meralco, meanwhile, expects supply reserves for the weekend to be sufficient, but assured the public that it would remain on high alert and is ready to activate its interruptible load program in case the need arises.
