SMC Ibabang power station

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SMC Ibabang power station is a cancelled power station in Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao, Quezon, Calabarzon, Philippines.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
SMC Ibabang power station Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao, Quezon, Calabarzon, Philippines 13.919408, 121.741002 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 13.919408, 121.741002

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 cancelled coal - unknown 355 supercritical 2025
Unit 2 cancelled coal - unknown 355 supercritical 2025
Unit 3 cancelled coal - unknown 355 supercritical 2025
Unit 4 cancelled coal - unknown 355 supercritical 2026

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp (CLPPC) [100.0%]
Unit 2 Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp (CLPPC) [100.0%]
Unit 3 Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp (CLPPC) [100.0%]
Unit 4 Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp (CLPPC) [100.0%]

Background

In July 2016, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) received initial clearance to study the construction of a 600 MW coal plant in Barangay Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao, Quezon.[1] The 4 x 150MW coal plant would be subcritical and was scheduled to become operational “no later than 2021.”[2]

In September 2018 SMC announced that it still intended to build the plant,[3] but listings by the Department of Energy show no progress on the project since June 2016.[4] In January 2019 the president of SMC wrote to Quezon province's Gov. David Suarez to ask for his help in getting the project approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP).[5] In August 2019 the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) listed the project's target commissioning date as TBD, suggesting that it may be delayed beyond the previous date of 2021.[6]

In February 2020 SMC announced that CLPPC would build a 4 x 355 MW supercritical plant in two phases, with two units coming online in 2024 and two units in 2026.[7] A public hearing on the project scoping was scheduled for March 2020 but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[8] The 4 x 355 MW project is planned for the same site as the original 4 x 150 MW project, and thus appears to be an expansion of the original project.

On October 27, 2020 the DOE imposed a moratorium on the construction of new or "greenfield" power plants, meaning those which have yet to begin construction.[9] San Miguel Corporation subsequently announced that its planned coal plants were cancelled.[10] In November 2020 DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi clarified that projects listed as "indicative" by the DOE would still be considered and might still be developed.[11]

The December 2020 Philippines DOE report on indicative power projects listed the 4 x 150 MW SMC Ibabang project, with target completion dates of 2025 for Units 1-3 and 2026 for Unit 4. However, that report still stated that there had been no progress on the project since June 2016.[12] The March 2021 DOE report does not list SMC Ibabang project, neither 4 x 150 MW nor 4 x 355 MW.[13] Given the moratorium on coal-fired power plants and the lack of progress, it is unclear whether the SMC Ibabang project will proceed. As of June 2021 the project is shelved, according to the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.[14] On July 1, 2021 SMC sent a letter to the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED) stating that the plant had been "discontinued."[15]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. "SMC’s 2 coal plants get initial clearance," Manila Standard, July 18, 2016
  2. Riza T. Olchondra, "SMC allots $4.2B for five new power plants," Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 18, 2016
  3. SMC Global cleared to conduct grid impact study for Negros coal plant, Manila Standard, Sep. 25, 2018
  4. 2018 Private Sector initiated power projects in Luzun (indicative) Philippine Department of Energy, 30 Sep., 2018
  5. SMC to set up big development projects in Quezon, Business Mirror, Jan. 17, 2019
  6. PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATED POWER PROJECTS (LUZON) COMMITTED, Philippine Department of Energy, 31 Aug., 2019
  7. Project Description for Scoping, Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp., Feb. 2020
  8. Notice of Public Scoping, Philippines Environmental Management Bureau, Mar. 25, 2020
  9. Jordeene B. Lagare, DoE issues ban on new coal plants, Manila Times, Oct. 28, 2020
  10. San Miguel to scrap pending coal power plants after gov't ban, Phil Star, Oct. 28, 2020
  11. Philippines mulls ban on greenfield coal-fired plants, IJ Global, Nov. 5, 2020
  12. PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATED POWER PROJECTS (LUZON) INDICATIVE, Philippine Department of Energy, Dec. 31, 2020
  13. LUZON INDICATIVE POWER PROJECTS, Philippines Department of Energy, Mar. 31, 2021
  14. Communication with Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, July 2021
  15. SMC dropped 3 coal-fired projects, DoE says in letter to think tank, Business World Online, Jul. 4, 2021

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.