Local energy developer Bacavalley Energy Inc. and General Electric (GE) have inaugurated the first landfill gas power plant in the country to feature GE's Jenbacher gas engines.
The project was inaugurated last Dec. 2 in a ceremony attended by Austrian Ambassador Wilhelm Donko, Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito; San Pedro, Laguna Mayor Calixto Cataquiz; Energy Undersecretary Loreta Ayson; and Bacavalley Energy Inc. chairman Salvador Zamora II.
The San Pedro Landfill Methane Recovery and Electricity Generation project will help meet the Philippines' growing energy needs while also reducing the emissions of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.
Also in attendance during the inauguration were engineer Jun Fernandez, Bacavalley Energy president; Gatot Prawiro general manager for GE's Jenbacher gas engines Asia Pacific; Alfred Buchner, general manager, GE Jenbacher North East Asia (excluding China) and John Alcordo, GE Energy's country executive for Philippines, among others.
By using methane generated by the San Pedro landfill in Laguna to power GE's Jenbacher gas engines, the project will reduce the landfill's methane emissions about 70 percent. The new plant, located 35 kilometers south of Manila, will produce more than four megawatts of electricity for sale to the local grid. Full commercial operation of the new plant is expected by January 2011.
"Bacavalley Energy is pleased to be working with GE on the San Pedro Methane Power Plant project," said Peregrino Fernandez Jr., president of Bacavalley Energy Inc.
"We are confident in the performance of GE's Jenbacher gas engines and we hope to further our partnership in the future waste-to-energy projects," he added.
GE supplied four containerized Jenbacher JGC 320 gas engine gensets. Together with DESCO Inc., the authorized sales and service distributor of GE's Jenbacher gas engines in the Philippines, additional services for up to 60,000 operating hours will be provided.
The Jenbacher are approved under ecomagination, GE's commitment to invest in a future that creates innovative solutions to global environmental challenges.
"San Pedro is a milestone project for us, marking the first installation of our gas engines on a landfill in the Philippines," said Prady Iyyanki, CEO-gas engines for GE Power and Water.
"It is another example of how customers worldwide are turning to new ways of capturing and using waste gases to meet their energy needs. Many of these customers are using our technology to generate power reliably while cutting greenhouse emissions," he said.
"We are excited about this renewable energy project, which will improve the level of municipal waste management and create new jobs to the community," said John Alcordo, GE Energy's country executive for Philippines.
Corporate Communications
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