LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY (PIA) – The power supplied by the Albay-based power plant for the Bicol region and the rest of the Luzon grid remains under normal condition despite Mayon Volcano’s increased activities.

The Aboitiz Power Corporation (APC) - Geothermal Power Plant in Tiwi Albay, hailed as the first and oldest geothermal power plant in the Philippines, continues its operation, yet remains on alert in case the Mayon situation worsens.

“The complex gross generation for the past week has been around 120 megawatts with no incident relating to Mayon's unrest. Nonetheless, despite Tiwi Geothermal’s distance to Mayon’s crater of about 24 kilometers, we remain on safety alert for any possible eventualities,” AP Renewables Inc. (APRI) Jeffrey R. Estrella said.

Estrella noted that the facility observed no significant temperature and fluid flow effects on its geothermal electricity production or other related issues.

He added that the construction of a binary geothermal plant in the Tiwi Facility is in progress to provide an additional 17-MW of clean electricity by the end of the year. It is sourced from the residual heat released from the hot brine during the geothermal production process.

Mayon assistance

In support to the provincial government's  Mayon operations response, the Aboitiz Foundation Inc. donated 10,000 sacks of 5-kilograms of rice for distribution to the evacuees of Camalig and Daraga.

It was turned over to the office of Albay 2nd District Cong. Joey Sarte Salceda on behalf of the province. The Ago Medical and Educational Center (AMEC) also offered their gym as temporary storage house.

As of Thursday, June 22, at around 5:00 PM, the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) reported a total of 1,839 families or 6, 502 individuals  temporarily sheltered in these areas.

To date, some 7, 708 families or 19, 959 individuals are evacuated from the seven areas affected by the Mayon Volcano. These are the cities of Ligao and Tabaco and municipalities of Malilipot, Bacacay, Sto. Domingo, Daraga, Camalig and Guinobatan.

Clean energy

APC Public Relations Assistant Vice President Abbey Thomas said that AboitizPower will continue to invest in renewable energy (RE) assets to complement the country’s vision for a 35% RE share of renewable energy in the power generation mix by 2030.

“AboitizPower will continue to invest in renewable energy assets en route to reaching 4,600 MW. It already has over 1,000 MW of disclosed projects from various indigenous energy sources and is constantly pursuing opportunities to grow its portfolio for solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, and energy storage systems,” Thomas said.

“To date, AboitizPower, together with its partners, offers the most diverse renewable energy types in the Philippines,” he added.

Early this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commited to ensure the availability of cheap and reliable energy through RE sources.

The Department of Energy said in a press release that the Marcos administration has increased investments in RE projects to meet the target of a 35%  RE share 2030 and 50% by 2040.

AboitizPower is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines, with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country. It is a major producer of renewable energy, with several hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar power generation facilities. It also has thermal power plants in its generation portfolio to support the country’s baseload and peak energy demands. (PIA5/Albay)