How Mariveles became a powerhouse in power generation
Daily TribunePhoto courtesy of GNPower
Mariveles, Bataan is a town shaped by its strategic location at the mouth of Manila Bay.
Originally a pre-colonial trading village known as Camaya, its history spans the Spanish galleon era, the tragic anchor point of the Bataan Death March, and its modern status as an economic powerhouse.
Today, Mariveles is teeming with bustling economic activity, with companies engaged in manufacturing, electronics, textiles and energy.
In the quiet village of Barangay Alas-asin, inside the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB), two power plants currently produce roughly 2,000 megawatts of electricity for the Luzon and Visayas grids.
GNPower Mariveles Energy Center Ltd. Co. (GMEC) and GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD), private limited partnerships of AboitizPower, have become catalysts in transforming Mariveles into a powerhouse of power generation.
GMEC and GNPD, sister baseload facilities located adjacent to each other in Mariveles, operate under private limited partnerships spearheaded by AboitizPower, through Therma Power Inc., alongside other stakeholders, including AC Energy and Infrastructure Corporation.
GMEC is the largest greenfield power project in Luzon, operating a $1.2-billion, 632-megawatt (MW) clean subcritical coal-fired power plant. Located in Barangay Alas-asin, it supplies vital baseload electricity to the Luzon grid.
The facility has been a critical component of the country’s energy portfolio since 2013. It operates under a private limited partnership among AboitizPower’s Therma Power Inc., ACEN (an Ayala company) and Power Partners Ltd. Co.
Meanwhile, GNPD is the largest coal-fired power plant in the Philippines. Established in 2014, it features two supercritical units generating a combined 1,450 MW.
In December 2015, the company achieved financial closure for the first of its two units, marking the official start of development.
In 2022, both 725-MW units were successfully commissioned and began commercial operations.
In 2023, the company received the Coal Power Project of the Year (Gold) award at the Asian Power Awards for its efficiency and contributions to grid stability.
The power plant utilizes supercritical thermal technology alongside flue gas desulfurization. It is the first supercritical thermal plant in the country, enabling it to lower emissions more efficiently while using multiple grades of coal.
Today, GMEC and GNPD primarily supply electricity to the Luzon and Visayas grids. Together, these two major coal-fired power facilities in Mariveles, Bataan, produce nearly 2,000 MW of electricity, making them a crucial cornerstone of the country’s energy infrastructure.