Meralco searching for partners for 1200 MW Quezon coal plant

• 8 years ago (2015-11-30)
• David Flin

Asia 850

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Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen), the power generation unit of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) of the Philippines, is still searching for prospective partners for construction of the Atimonan 1200 MW coal-fired power plant in Quezon. Work on the $2 billion project is scheduled to start in early 2016, with commercial operation of the first unit due by late 2020.

The project is being undertaken by Atimonan One Energy, which is looking for partnership with a foreign firm to spread any possible risk. Manuel Pangilinan, Chairman of Meralco, said the partner will “likely be Japanese or Korean.”

Oscar Reyes, President of Meralco, said: “We are talking to a number of parties, but we are not yet in a position to discuss to whom we are talking. It’s been a strategy of the company in the past to pursue this kind of project with a partner. We will focus on who would be the best partner for Atimonan, and they should be well established.”

Angelito Lantin, Senior Vice President of Meralco, said that the EPC bid process has already begin with selection for the preferred EPC contractor being made by mid-2016. He said: “Early works such as site access road and resettlement site construction are targeted to start in early 2016. The target completion of unit 1 is late 2020.”

The proposed 2 x 600 MW superciritical coal-fired power plant in Atimonan town is a response to Luzon’s energy supply requirements. The project will be located about 114 km south east of Quezon City.