GEOTHERMAL ENERGY producer Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is exploring options to repurpose its 129-megawatt (MW) Upper Mahiao Power Plant in Kananga, Leyte, after it reached the tip of its operational lifespan.
“We might be conducting site feasibility studies and take a look at various options including the potential repurposing or redevelopment of the realm,” EDC Vice-President Ryan Z. Velasco told reporters on Tuesday.
EDC said it plans to decommission the plant in phases, with the initial stage targeted by 2026 and full decommissioning by 2029.
The plant, which EDC took over in 2006, began business operations in 1996 and was the primary geothermal project within the Philippines built under the build-operate-transfer scheme.
The Upper Mahiao facility is a component of EDC’s Unified Leyte geothermal complex, which also includes the 232-MW Malitbog, 180-MW Mahanagdong, and 51-MW Optimization plants.
EDC, the renewable energy arm of Lopez-led First Gen Corp., has a complete installed capability of 1,388.8 MW, or roughly 20% of the country’s total renewable energy capability. Since 1976, the corporate has developed geothermal power facilities across Bicol, Leyte, Negros Island, and Mindanao.
The corporate has earmarked as much as P30 billion for the drilling of 40 latest wells through 2026, supporting its expansion within the geothermal sector. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera