Mitsubishi Power has secured a long-term maintenance contract for the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan Combined Cycle Power Plant, a key facility supporting the country's growing use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet rising electricity demand.

MHI Power (Philippines) Plant Services Corp. (MHI-PSC), the local services arm of Mitsubishi Power, said Monday it signed a Long-Term Parts and Services Agreement (LTPSA) with South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC), the operator of the Ilijan facility in Batangas.

The agreement gives MHI-PSC responsibility for supplying critical turbine components, carrying out repairs and inspections, and providing technical support for the plant's Mitsubishi Power M501G gas turbines, which have been in operation since the facility began commercial operations in 2002.

The Ilijan plant forms part of LNGPH, a 2.5-gigawatt integrated LNG import, regasification and gas-to-power complex in Batangas jointly owned by Meralco PowerGen Corp., Aboitiz-led Therma Natgas Power Inc. and San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp.

"Sustaining the performance and reliability of power assets is at the core of Mitsubishi Power's engineering excellence," said Akihiro Ondo, managing director and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific.

"Through this long-term partnership with LNGPH and SPPC, we are not only maintaining vital infrastructure, but ultimately are helping provide stable, flexible power generation to meet the Philippines' evolving needs for decades to come," he said.

For LNGPH, the agreement provides additional assurance over the long-term reliability of a facility that has supplied power to Luzon for more than two decades.

"Over the past two decades, the SPPC facility, with the steadfast support of Mitsubishi Power, has been a key source of reliable power for the Luzon grid," LNGPH President and Chief Executive Officer Yari A. Miralao said.

With a power supply agreement extending through 2040 and renewed backing from its ownership group, Miralao said the plant is well-positioned to continue supporting the country's energy needs in the years ahead.

Mitsubishi Power estimates its technologies account for more than a quarter of the Philippines' installed power generation capacity through projects including Ilijan, San Lorenzo, MakBan, Pagbilao, and San Buenaventura.