The San Gabriel combined-cycle power (CCP) plant, under construction in Santa Rita, Batangas City, Philippines, will have an installed capacity of 414MW. The natural gas-fired power project, estimated to cost $600m, is owned by First NatGas Power Corporation (FNPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of First Gen.
The ceremony of the plant took place in January and commercial operation is expected to begin in 2016. The generated power will be fed to the power grid in Luzon.
Development of the plant in Philippines
The San Gabriel CCP Plant is the first of three units planned for the larger, 1,350MW San Gabriel natural gas power project in the Calabarzon region, located about 110km south of the capital city Manila. The site is located near the existing 1,000MW Santa Rita and 500MW San Lorenzo combined-cycle natural gas power plants, both of which are owned by First Gen.
San Gabriel CCP plant design
The first unit of the San Gabriel plant will run on natural gas sourced from the Malampaya field off the south-western coat of Palawan province. The other planned units are expected to use re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG).
The plant will consist of a SGT6-8000H gas turbine with a gross power output of 274MW, a SST6-5000 steam turbine, a hydrogen-cooled SGen6-2000H generator, and a Benson type heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG), all to be supplied by Siemens.
The advanced SGT6-8000H gas turbine technology has a proven combined-cycle efficiency of over 60% and is expected to make San Gabriel one of the most efficient gas-fired power plants in South East Asia. A Siemens SPPA-T3000 control system will also be installed.
Financial support
First Gen is funding the San Gabriel project with the proceeds of a recent $300m bond offering and $200m of borrowing from Germany’s Export Credit Agency (ECA).
Contractors involved
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, as well as the operation and maintenance contract worth €395m ($540m) for the 414MW unit, was awarded to Siemens Energy in December 2013.
Siemens is building the plant on a turnkey basis, supplying all equipment and construction services. It will also operate and maintain the facility for approximately nine and a half years through its wholly owned subsidiary Siemens Power Operations.
Philippines power market
Electricity demand in the Philippines, one of the high-growth economies in South East Asia, is expected to nearly double from the current installed capacity of 22GW to around 42GW by 2030. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have been identified as the three major regions requiring substantial capacity addition.
Coal accounts for about 30% of the country’s installed power capacity, followed by hydroelectricity on 22%. Oil and natural gas each accounted for 18% in 2011.
The share of natural gas in the total primary energy supply is expected to rise significantly in future, considering the country’s obligation to limit the risk of climate change. The increasing price of natural gas, however, demands the use of high-efficiency gas turbine technology, such as the one being used by the San Gabriel project.
