1,200 MW Santa Maria plant: Key Fgen priority project

The development of the 1,200-megawatt (MW) Santa Maria natural gas-fired plant remains one of the key priorities of First Gen Corp. (FGEN), the renewable energy business of the Lopez Family.

FGEN highlighted its commitment to the development of the new power plant in its annual report released on Monday.

The company’s subsidiary, First Gen EcoPower Solutions Inc., is dedicated to utilizing the latest gas turbine technology available in the market to ensure maximum efficiency. This approach enables the project to provide more capacity while reducing fuel requirements.

“The ongoing efforts on the project enable First Gen to be in a better position to make such power plants available in time to meet the expected growth in grid demand, and further help stabilize the grid by complementing intermittent renewables with more natural gas plants,” the FGEN report read.

“The plant will be designed to serve baseload and mid-merit requirements of the Luzon grid,” it added.

Four gas-powered power plants

FGen operates four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,000 MW. These include the Santa Rita power plant with a capacity of 1,000 MW, the San Lorenzo power plant with 500 MW capacity, the San Gabriel power plant with 414 MW capacity, and the Avion power plant with 97 MW capacity.

To ensure the reliable delivery of electricity to customers, the company utilizes natural gas as a transitional fuel source. This interim solution helps bridge the gap until cleaner energy sources are developed and seamlessly incorporated into the national grid.

Additionally, FGEN, through another wholly owned subsidiary, FGEN LNG, will continue to deploy its pioneering efforts in the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.

The FGEN LNG terminal is expected to accelerate the introduction of LNG to the Philippines and will serve the natural gas requirements of existing and future gas-fired power plants of third parties and FGen’s affiliates.

To date, the company has completed the tender and receipt of three LNG cargoes since the completion of the terminal.

As of 20 March, FGEN LNG has also finished the commissioning activities.

LNG crucial for energy sustainability

As outlined in the Philippine Energy Plan, LNG is crucial for the country’s energy sustainability and security. It plays an important role in boosting natural gas share in the power generation mix to 26 percent by 2040.

LNG offers significant environmental advantages over traditional fossil fuels as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, combats climate change, improves air quality, and enhances public health — making it the ideal transition fuel to a renewable energy future.