SAN MIGUEL GLOBAL Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP) unit Malita Power, Inc. (MPI) plans a P3.2-billion expansion of its gas turbine power plant in Zamboanga City.
“With the projections of increasing power demand in the Zamboanga Peninsula in the coming years, the company decided to increase its power generating capacity to 56 megawatts (MW),” the company said in its filing with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
MPI proposes to install a 28-MW modular gas turbine power plant fueled by diesel oil, doubling its existing capacity.
Diesel will be used as fuel since it is “a more flexible, secure, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective source of energy,” the company said. Liquefied natural gas may also be utilized in the future, depending on the availability of the source.
The facility will be connected via transmission lines to a 69-kilovolt substation, which will then be linked directly to the existing switching station of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
SMGP said that the Zamboanga Peninsula experiences low voltage and unstable supply, especially in Zamboanga City, due to “long, radial lines and lack of local power generation.”
The project aims to “alleviate power supply delivery and voltage stability issues and help augment the demand for reliable and affordable power supply in the Zamboanga Peninsula, and will contribute to national development.”
The proposed project is scheduled for a public hearing on Aug. 25. The activity is part of the review of the application for an environmental compliance certificate, designed to promote dialogue among the project proponent, relevant government agencies, and other stakeholders to exchange views on the environmental impact assessment, management, and monitoring of the proposed project.
SMGP, the power arm of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., maintains a diversified energy portfolio across conventional and renewable sources.
The conglomerate led the country’s power generation sector in 2024, accounting for 22.44% of the national grid. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera