AboitizPower highlights geothermal energy education at Cleanergy Center
Nearly a decade after entering the geothermal power industry, Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) continues to lead innovation in the renewable energy sector through the operation of a unique education facility focusing on renewable energy, and an actual geothermal power plant applying those concepts.
AboitizPower’s Cleanergy Center and Makiling-Banahaw (MakBan) Geothermal Power Plant, both located in the MakBan Geothermal Power Plant Complex in Bay, Laguna — which is a major part the company’s portfolio of clean and renewable energy sources.
To date, AboitizPower and its partners produce more than 1,200 MW of clean and renewable energy under its Cleanergy brand.
“There is a growing demand from customers for Cleanergy and we are able to respond through the reliable and efficient operation of our MakBan geothermal power plants in Laguna, Batangas and Albay. AboitizPower also has a portfolio of large and run-of-river hydro, as well as solar power plants,” said Felino M. Bernardo, AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI) President and Chief Operating Officer.
“Our Cleanergy brand is part of our balanced mix of generation sources. This gives AboitizPower the flexibility to respond to the needs of the market through better solutions for our customers,” Bernardo said.
APRI operates the MakBan geothermal power plants, which have combined gross capacity of some than 430 MW.
What is geothermal energy?
The MakBan Geothermal Power Plant Complex — which spans the provinces of Batangas and Laguna — is a hotbed for geothermal energy, which is defined as power generated from natural steam, hot water, hot rocks, or lava from the Earth’s crust. Because of the reliability of geothermal power plants, it is often used as baseload plants, to run at almost 24 hours every day.
It provides a continuous supply of energy regardless of weather conditions. Because it is renewable, it does not produce pollution and does not contribute to the “greenhouse effect,” and it is the least expensive source of energy next to hydroelectric power.
In 2009, AboitizPower, through its wholly-owned subsidiary APRI, assumed ownership of the MakBan and Tiwi Geothermal Power Plants. Two laws enabled this: 1967’s Republic Act (R.A.) 5092 (Geothermal Energy, Natural Gas, and Methane Gas Law), passed to enable the government to set aside lands as geothermal reservation, and R.A. 9136 (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), which allowed state-owned power plants to be privatized.
Cleanergy Center
Opened in 2013, the Cleanergy Center is the country’s first energy educational facility. It features basic tools used in power generation, educational videos about the different types of energy sources, a tour of a working geothermal power plant guided by an in-house curator and an interactive room, where visitors can enjoy activities like making their own wind turbine, charging phones by biking while burning calories, among others.
Cleanergy Center also has VIP lounge room, viewing deck, audio-visual room, and a 100-seat amphitheater, which is offered as a free venue to host seminars and forums of various stakeholders.
To experience the Cleanergy Center, contact APRI through their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CleanergyCenter and/or email at cleanergy.center@aboitiz.com. Cleanergy Center is open Mondays to Fridays, except holidays, from 9am to 4pm. Prior reservation is required.
MakBan Geothermal Power Plant
The MakBan Geothermal Power Plant, meanwhile, plays an important role in the country’s geothermal power generation, which currently has an installed capacity of 1.9 GW, forming 12% of the Philippines’ total electric power supply.
First commissioned in 1979, the MakBan Geothermal Power Plant is the only indigenous baseload plant in Luzon with better grid stability and availability, which means it can generate constant and reliable energy supply throughout the day (versus intermediate and peaking power plants).
The MakBan Geothermal Power Plant is composed of 10 generating units from five power plants (Plants A to E), located in Bay and Caluan, Laguna, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
