MANILA — Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN) is setting its sights on its parent company’s upcoming baseload power supply contract as a crucial stepping stone to finally push through with its long-delayed coal-fired power plant in Quezon.
During a media briefing last week, MGEN President Emmanuel Rubio announced that the company intends to leverage the 1,200-megawatt ultra-supercritical facility in Atimonan to bid for Manila Electric Company’s (Meralco) newly opened 900-megawatt baseload capacity requirement.
Meralco has set the deadline for expressions of interest on Thursday, October 15, as part of a competitive selection process (CSP) that will award a 15-year power supply agreement. The chosen supplier must deliver 600 megawatts by February 2031, followed by another 300 megawatts a year later.
“Hopefully, when we win it, then we can build it. This is the last opportunity for MGEN to execute Atimonan [coal plant],” Rubio said.
The Atimonan facility, initially slated for commercial operations by February 2030, will utilize high-efficiency, low-emission technology. MGEN projects the plant will power at least five million households and account for roughly seven percent of Luzon’s energy demand.
Although exempted from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) coal moratorium, the plant is conditioned to retire by 2050.
Rubio also clarified that the facility will remain a coal-fired plant and will not transition to liquefied natural gas, ensuring continuous baseload support for the national grid amid rising power demands.