AboitizPower: Old plants key to new energy

As the country accelerates its shift to renewable energy, Aboitiz Power Corp. is calling for a balanced approach, citing conventional power plants as essential keys in keeping the grid reliable while cleaner technologies scale up.

“Conventional power provides the stability, flexibility and reliability that will allow emerging technologies and cleaner sources to scale,” said Rolando “Don” Paulino, chief engineering and projects officer of AboitizPower’s Transition Business Group, at a recent forum. 

“Without it, the transition risks being unbalanced and unable to meet the country’s growing demand.”

Paulino explained that baseload plants serve as a stabilizing force against the intermittency of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. 

He added that the transition challenge is not only in building new capacity but also in maximizing the performance of existing assets to ensure dependable electricity as the grid evolves.

No full shift

Industry peers at the forum shared the same outlook. 

“Conventional energy still has a strong role to play. And it will continue to play a powerful role in the future,” said AmCham energy chairperson Frank Thiel.

Yatin Premchand, managing director of engineering firm Black & Veatch, reinforced the point, noting the complexity of the shift. 

“The actual situation we see with respect to energy transition is that it’s a lot harder than any of us imagined. It’s not easy to go from convention to net zero,” he said.

The call for conventional plants comes as the Department of Energy projects a sharp rise in consumption, with electricity sales expected to increase more than fourfold from 91.3 terawatt-hours in 2022 to over 400 terawatt-hours by 2050, growing at an average annual rate of 5.49 percent.

AboitizPower’s Transition Business Group currently operates several baseload facilities across the country, including GNPower Mariveles and GNPower Dinginin in Bataan, Therma Luzon in Quezon, Therma Visayas in Cebu, and Therma South in Davao.