EXCELLENT Energy Resources, Inc. (EERI) said it hopes the certification it needs to operate Unit 3 of its Batangas gas-fired project will be issued by the end of May.
The 425-megawatt (MW) Unit 3 of EERI’s 1,275-MW combined cycle power plant complex in Ilijan, Batangas has recently undergone testing and commissioning, it said, and is awaiting a final certificate of approval to connect the plant to the grid.
“The target is to address and resolve these concerns by 30 May 2025,” Yari A. Miralao, EERI president and chief executive officer, said in a statement late Monday.
“We remain committed to ensuring that the facility can reach full operational capacity at the earliest possible opportunity,” he said.
EERI is jointly owned by subsidiaries of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), Aboitiz Power Corp. and San Miguel Global Holdings Corp.
Mr. Miralao said Units 1 and 2 are fully operational at their combined capacity of 850 MW.
On Monday, the Department of Energy flagged EERI and Meralco for not hitting full capacity according to the terms of their power supply agreement (PSA).
The PSA was entered into after a competitive selection process last year. The power generator offered 1,200 MW out of the required contract capacity of 1,800 MW.
“Our concern is without the fulfilment of the power supply agreement of Meralco and EERI, then there is a gap. Instead of having a fully contracted capacity, then these capacities that are lacking under the PSA will have to be sourced from other generating facilities,” Mr. Marasigan said.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
