EDC officials and stakeholder partners in Brgy. Nagotgot, Manito for the groundbreaking ceremony that was also held via ZoomEnergy Development Corporation (EDC), through its subsidiary Bacman Geothermal Inc., recently broke ground to officially commence the construction of its 29-megawatt (MW) Palayan Binary Power Plant (PBPP) project and provide much needed additional supply of clean, reliable and stable power to the country by December 2022.

The ceremony that was held simultaneously in Brgy. Nagotgot and via Zoom was graced by EDC president and COO Richard Tantoco and SVP and facilities operations and maintenance head Liberato Virata, with stakeholder partners led by Department of Energy Usec.

Emmanuel Juaneza, Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Francisco Milla Jr., Department of Labor and Employment Region 5’s Engr. Roberto Aranas, First Balfour president and COO Anthony Fernandez, and Engr. Macario Pavia, who represented Gov. Al Francis Bichara.

The PBPP project that will expand EDC’s existing 130-MW Bacon-Manito geothermal facility will generate 215.8 gigawatt-hours of clean power and was awarded a subsidy from Japan as part of its joint crediting mechanism.

The low-carbon project is expected to reduce the country’s carbon emissions by around 72,200 tonnes each year as it helps Japan reach its own carbon dioxide reduction goals.

“I want to emphasize how our revitalized mission to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future puts PBPP in front and center. This project is a testament to our invaluable collaborations not only with you, Gov. Francis and with Gov. Chiz [Escudero], with the Department of Energy and even with the Department of Health but also with the government of Japan, First Balfour, Turboden, Mitsubishi Power Limited, and our other contractors, suppliers and other partners, including TESDA Region 5 and the KEITECH Educational Foundation—all of us [are] working together to provide a stable, reliable and cost-competitive source of clean, baseload power that our country needs,” Tantoco said.

The project will make use of waste heat from the 110-MW Bacman-1 geothermal power plant to generate additional energy without the need for additional drilling. It is envisioned to boost the local economy as will generate 600 jobs for the community. (Story/Photos by: Frances Ariola)