San Miguel Global Power lauded at Asian Power Awards for portfolio of innovations

It has shown remarkable breakthroughs in the industry that focused on providing sufficient energy.

Power company San Miguel Global Power (SMGP) was highly commended at the recently held Asian Power Awards for several of its projects that highlighted innovative features and methods and have become a trailblazer in the sustainable energy mix in the Philippines and in Asia.

Amongst these projects is the company’s portfolio of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). SMGP posits that the integration of such facilities into the Philippine grid has the potential to transform how the Philippine power system is conceived, designed, and operated. Through its pioneering and innovative BESS facilities, SMGP has heeded the call for a more reliable power grid and universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy.

Since the first commissioned grid-scale 10 MW BESS facility in Masinloc in 2016, SMGP has completed and commenced the commercial operations of 21 BESS facilities located nationwide. In 2022, SMGP has completed a total of 390MWh BESS capacity and is in the process of completing the additional 580MWh this year. Twelve of these facilities have been providing effective frequency regulation service to the Philippine grid.

Due to the inherent characteristics of the BESS, it can absorb excess electricity and provide an instantaneous increase in electricity supply much faster than any conventional generator. The BESS’ precise control and quick response have been proven in various transmission grids globally to ensure the reliability of their respective grids.

“It is the most effective resource to support grid security than any traditional reserve providers and can be used to address challenges related to large-scale grid integration of renewables,” the company said.

SMGP clinched the Battery Storage Project of the Year - Silver, Innovative Power Technology of the Year - Philippines, and Smart Grid Project of the Year - Philippines category wins in the prestigious awards programme for the success of its BESS portfolios.

Reducing water consumption across plants

In 2017, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the mother company of SMGP, launched the Water for All initiative to reduce water consumption in all of its plants by 50% by 2025. This project continued amidst the pandemic.

SMGP – Limay Power Plant shares the same ambition and is in full support of SMC’s Water for All initiative. Limay Power Plant launched Project H2O in 2018 as part of the activities under the overall initiative.

To help achieve this target, a core group was established from different departments to ensure that every aspect leading to water conservation shall be considered. Water metres and other monitoring devices were installed to properly monitor water consumption. A series of flow rate tests and leak detection has also been implemented to identify unnecessary water usage and passing to rectify them accordingly.

Around 27,740 m3 of effluent water has been utilised for dust suppression and irrigation since the launch of the project. Through the project, the design recovery rate of the reverse osmosis system and maintaining demineralised water consumption to 1.16m3 per day per MWh per unit has also been restored.

Project H2o has been a success as the conservation initiative has been steadily closing in on the 50% reduction target--from 24.09% from its initial launch in 2018 to 47.33% as of June 2023; 2.77% shy of the target. The efforts for water conservation resulted in the reduction of groundwater consumption by 3,606,087 m3.

SMGP – Limay Power Plant brought home the Water Conservation Initiative of the Year - Philippines win in the awards programme for this initiative.

A relentless pursuit of reliable energy

The company also received the Diesel-Fired Power Project of the Year - Gold award for the development of its 2 x 28MW TM2500 Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Project in the province of Zamboanga.

Malita Power, another subsidiary of SMGP, has worked on establishing the plant due to the energy challenges being encountered by the residents of Zamboanga because of the province’s geographical location and low voltage problems.

Whilst the current distribution utility of the area is drawing power from Malita Power’s coal-fired CFB Power Plant, even the full availability of the plant cannot guarantee steady voltage due to the distance.

The mobile gas turbine generator plant is expected to enable rapid deployment capability, as the generators can be transported via land, sea, and air to some of the most remote places. The TM2500 mobile package is also powered by one of the top-selling aeroderivative gas turbines that offers 18MW to 35MW with up to 41% gas turbine shaft’s fuel efficiency.

“Economic growth hinges on its industries functioning optimally. With the project being established, operations will no longer need to halt due to power fluctuations. Industries ranging from manufacturing to agriculture can flourish, contributing not only to economic prosperity, but also to job creation,” the company said.

The project is set to be fully completed by Q2 2024 – embodying a future of resilience and prosperity for the city.

Value in waste

Since 2016, the company has also been utilising an interim ash pond design approved by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which holds a capacity of 49,135 m^2 or equivalent to 210,000 metric tons, with a density of 1.5 MT/m^3.

Malita Power and Oro Cement Plant collaborated to supply and utilise Fly-ash as a catalyst for cement production. The process of supplying this involved thorough testing conducted by Oro Cement's accredited laboratory, enclosed transportation of fly ash over approximately 120 kilometres to minimise dust emissions, and the acceptance of only dry fly ash for cement production.

Upon ensuring all requisites were satisfied, the first fly ash hauling began in October 2021. As of August this year, a total of 56,855.2 metric tons of fly ash hauled and utilised for cement production have been logged.

By transforming fly ash into a usable resource, the need for water consumption for mixing in the wet unloader before ash pond dumping has significantly decreased. It has also minimised the generation of fugitive dust around the ash pond area.

This project has been recognised as the winner of the Power Plant Upgrade of the Year - Philippines.

Enhancing operational efficiency and accuracy

Malita Power has also demonstrated how technological innovation greatly improves power plant operations through the introduction of eDNA Historian, RTD Dashboard and CEMS Real-time monitoring tools. These capabilities have been used to manage and optimise its 2X150MW Malita Power Plant in the province of Davao Occidental.

eDNA Historian’s ability to monitor critical plant parameters in real-time has allowed the Malita Power Plant team to identify issues and respond to abnormalities such as boiler tube leaks and valve leaks. This has led to a remarkable reduction in forced outages and derations, resulting in increased operational efficiency.

RTD Dashboard is a very useful tool for operators and traders, with the advantages of an accurate loading schedule at the right time and a historical display of the actual load vs schedule load, which will give operators easy monitoring and warn them to prevent non-compliances. This tool also gives the top management a basis for faster decision-making.

Whilst, through CEMS Real-time monitoring availability, Malita Power proactively identifies trends and anomalies in its emissions profiles, optimising its operations for both efficiency and environmental compliance. This synergistic approach drives innovation in pollution control technologies and bolsters sustainable business practices.

“The impact of eDNA Historian, RTD Dashboard and CEMS Real-time Monitoring extends beyond the power plant, marketability, and compliances. By leveraging the power of data analysis, the project enables the assessment of real-time cost value equivalent to savings or losses,” the company said. 

Malita Power brought home the Information Technology Project of the Year - Philippines category win in the awards programme for the said tools.

The Asian Power Awards, now in its 19th year, celebrates and honours companies and projects that have taken innovative and game-changing steps to address the effects of the climate crisis and meet the growing demand for energy.

The Asian Power Awards is presented by Asian Power Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's revolutionary innovations and initiatives in the power industry in Asia, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].