San Carlos Power Station
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San Carlos Power Station is a cancelled power station in San Carlos, Negros Occidental, Western Visayas, Philippines. It is also known as SMC Global Negros power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| San Carlos Power Station | San Carlos, Negros Occidental, Western Visayas, Philippines | 10.482699, 123.413725 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - unknown | 300 | circulating fluidized bed | – | – | – |
| Unit 1 | cancelled[1][2][3][4][5][6] | liquefied natural gas[1] | 300[1] | combined cycle[7] | not found | – | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 1 | Reliance Energy Development Inc. (REDI)[1] | SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. [100.0%] |
Background
In September 2018 the San Miguel Corporation announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) had approved its application for a grid impact study (GIS) had been approved August 1, 2018.[8][9]
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.[10] San Miguel Corporation subsequently announced that the San Carlos power station and its other planned coal plants were cancelled.[11] 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.[12]
As of December 2020 there had been no progress in more than two years, and the project appeared to be shelved. The project was still listed in the December 2020 Philippines Department of Energy report on initiated power plants as "indicative", but the target completion date is marked "TBD".[13]
As noted below, the project appeared to shift to gas plans in 2021. In addition, in June 2022, the Committed and Indicative DOE documents for Visayas did not include the project.
Opposition
The project is opposed by the Green Alert Network (GAN) and the Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, which pointed out in a position paper that San Carlos was recently named one of the world's 100 most livable cities.[14][15]
On Earth Day (April 22) of 2019, at least 7,000 members of the religious sector and the youth formed a “human chain” to oppose the construction of the San Carlos power station. The “human chain” stretched for 229 kilometers from Manapla in Negros Occidental to La Libertad in Negros Oriental. The activists called on provincial government officials to uphold the executive order of outgoing Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. which declared Negros Occidental as coal-free.[16]
A November 2022 news article reported that plans for the proposed coal-fired power plant had been halted by a successful campaign collectively led by three environmental groups. [17]
Provincial ban on coal plants
In March 2019 Gov. Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. signed Executive Order 19-08 banning new coal plants in Negros Occidental.[18] Given that ban, the project would appear to be cancelled.[19] However, the Executive Order is a statement of policy and is not legally binding so the plant may still proceed.[20]
Gas-Fired Power Plant
In the Department of Energy's June 2021 data release tracking private sector initiated power projects, San Carlos had a note stating: "To be changed to liquefied natural gas".[21] In March 2022, SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., the power unit of SMC, announced plans to invest $320 million for a 300-MW gas-fired power plant in Negros Occidental. In a filing with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, SMC's wholly owned unit Reliance Energy Development Inc. (REDI) was proposing a 4x75-MW LNG combined cycle power plant within the San Carlos City Ecozone in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. An on-shore LNG terminal facility was to be constructed adjacent to the power plant to store and re-gasify the LNG that would be delivered through barging. REDI was targeting to start constructing the power project in the third quarter of 2022 with completion planned in the third quarter of 2024[22].
In November 2022, REDI withdrew its application for Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the project following strong opposition from the public due to environmental concerns. However, the company has not officially informed the provincial government about its plans to drop the project. As of May 2023, there have not been any updates about the project moving forward[23][24].
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125192703/https://www.doe.gov.ph/sites/default/files/pdf/electric_power/private_sector_initiated_power_projects/visayas_indicative_2021_%20june_01.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240125020552/https://www.philstar.com/business/2022/03/07/2165356/smc-global-invest-p185-billion-lng-plant-negros. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230128080248/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1694766/smc-withdraws-power-project-in-negros-occ. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221209092749/https://ceedphilippines.com/smc-backs-off-another-lng-project-in-negros/. Archived from the original on 09 December 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221130140200/https://www.eco-business.com/news/milestone-win-for-negros-environmental-activists-as-conglomerate-shelves-lng-plant/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221123162401/https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/11/23/news/regions/smc-to-withdraw-lng-plant-in-san-carlos-city/1867404. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221130030327/https://powerphilippines.com/san-miguel-building-600mw-lng-plant-in-cebu/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ SMC Global Power eyeing 300-MW coal plant in Negros, Business Mirror, Sep. 26, 2018
- ↑ PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATED POWER PROJECTS (VISAYAS), Philippine Department of Energy, 30 Sep. 2018
- ↑ Jordeene B. Lagare, DoE issues ban on new coal plants, Manila Times, Oct. 28, 2020
- ↑ San Miguel to scrap pending coal power plants after gov't ban, Phil Star, Oct. 28, 2020
- ↑ Philippines mulls ban on greenfield coal-fired plants, IJ Global, Nov. 5, 2020
- ↑ PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATED POWER PROJECTS (VISAYAS) INDICATIVE, Philippine Department of Energy, Dec. 31, 2020
- ↑ San Miguel : Bishop leads opposition to coal plant in northern Negros city, MarketScreener, Oct. 15, 2018
- ↑ Negros environment group lauds guv’s ‘coal-free’ stand, PNA, Nov. 6, 2018
- ↑ Carla P. Gomez, ‘Human chain’ formed in Negros Occidental to oppose coal-fired power plant, Inquirer Visayas, Apr. 22, 2019
- ↑ Negros Occidental environmentalists hail end to liquefied natural gas project, rappler, Nov. 16, 2022
- ↑ NEGROS OCCIDENTAL BANS COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, Philippine Department of Energy, Mar. 6, 2019
- ↑ The Philippine Energy Transition, IEEFA, March 2019
- ↑ Ian Nicolas Cigaral, Coal ban not law but ‘strong policy’, Philippine Inquirer, Mar. 11, 2019
- ↑ Visayas Indicative Power Projects, Republic of the Philippines Department of Energy, Jun 30, 2021
- ↑ "SMC Global to invest P18.5 billion for LNG plant in Negros". The Philippine Star. March 7, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Milestone win for Negros environmental activists as conglomerate shelves LNG plant". Eco-business. November 22, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SMC to withdraw LNG plant in San Carlos City". The Manila Times. November 23, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
