RELIABLE and competitively-priced electricity remains dependent on a “balanced mix” of generation sources, including fossil fuel, said a top official of the country’s second-largest power distribution utility.
“A balanced mix of renewable and thermal energy sources can address the different levels and patterns of power demand in the most efficient and cost-effective way,” said Anton Mari G. Perdices, chief operating officer of Visayan Electric Co., Inc. (VECO).
Mr. Perdices’ statement was sent by AboitizPower Co., which jointly runs VECO along with Vivant Corp. He gave his statement during the SwitchPH Renewable Energy Summit at the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus in Cebu City.
Mr. Perdices said more than 50% of VECO’s power supply comes from renewable energy (RE), but there continues to be a need for a balanced mix of generation sources.
He said in the long-term, RE would be cheaper than fossil-based technologies, “but the initial investment into RE is high at present.”
He said that although renewable energy sources lessen the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and help mitigate the effects of climate change, they also have disadvantages.
Some types of RE are location-specific, Mr. Perdices said, citing geothermal and hydro. Solar and wind power farms cannot provide baseload power due to reliability issues, he added.
VECO’s peak demand in 2016 was 524 megawatts (MW), of which 50.47% mostly came from geothermal sources in the Visayas, AboitizPower said. VECO distributes electricity to Metro Cebu’s towns and cities.
AboitizPower, together with its partners, has a net sellable capacity of 3,954 MW, of which 32% or 1,263 MW comes from RE. That share is expected to expand further with the completion of the 69-MW run-of-river Manolo Fortich hydropower project in Bukidnon, the 8-MW Maris Canal hydro project in Isabela, and the 8.8-MW biomass facility in Lian, Batangas through subsidiary Aseagas Corp.
In April, AboitizPower completed the restoration of the 6-MW binary one plant at the MakBan geothermal plant. — Victor V. Saulon
A balanced mix of renewable and thermal energy sources can address the different levels and patterns of power demand in the most efficient and cost-effective way — Anton Mari G. Perdices, chief operating officer of Visayan Electric Co., Inc. — VECO CEBU
