News Finally the Power is on The year 2006 marks a significant milestone in Mindanao’s power industry as the island’s newest power generating facility commences operation beginning November 15, 2006 --- and shoring up electricity supply to the grid by an additional 200 million watts. This developed as the Mindanao Power Plant project of German-owned firm STEAG State Power Inc (SPI) comes on-line just in time when the Mindanao grid needs additional power to cope with increasing demand. It is also remarkable to note that start of full commercial operation came in about 10 months after the Boiler Pressure Tests Ceremony in January 2006 and about 36 months from the groundbreaking and site mobilization in December 2003. The completion of the power plant project and its subsequent start of commercial operations is indeed exceptionally way ahead of schedule. This unprecedented feat is primarily attributable to the well-established synergy and teamwork among the principal players in the project construction and commissioning as well as through the inspiring support extended by the project stakeholders coming from both the private and the public sectors. Putting the power plant on line did not come as an easy job especially for Filipino, Japanese and German engineers tasked to commission all the component parts essential in the process of power generation. All electrical, chemical and mechanical components must undergo and pass series of rigorous performance and reliability tests --- benchmarking on well-established standards and sets of parameters. Series of synchronization procedures have to be undertaken to ensure that electrical output is harmonized with the grid. Moreover, safety and environmental protection equipment and facilities have to be tested and re-tested to determine whether they are indeed reliably functioning and to ultimately ensure that power plant operation is safe, efficient, and environmentally-compatible. As the target date for commercial operation draws near, all workers at the plant site zealously prepare for the most crucial part of the gamut of the entire commissioning process which is the final guarantee and efficiency test for the twin power generating units. The units are started-up and kept working on a continuing and uninterrupted period of at least one-month to determine whether the machine is indeed producing the desired electrical output on a sustained basis. To the delight of those guaranteeing the operation as well as the management and staff of SPI, the twin units have finally passed the ultimate trial period culminating with the signing of the acceptance test by all the concerned parties and cooperating agencies. All the waiting is over, finally the power is on --- reaching out and lighting up thousands of households in Mindanao --- making lives better and a lot brighter for all of them.
It is also remarkable to note that start of full commercial operation came in about 10 months after the Boiler Pressure Tests Ceremony in January 2006 and about 36 months from the groundbreaking and site mobilization in December 2003. The completion of the power plant project and its subsequent start of commercial operations is indeed exceptionally way ahead of schedule.
This unprecedented feat is primarily attributable to the well-established synergy and teamwork among the principal players in the project construction and commissioning as well as through the inspiring support extended by the project stakeholders coming from both the private and the public sectors.
Putting the power plant on line did not come as an easy job especially for Filipino, Japanese and German engineers tasked to commission all the component parts essential in the process of power generation. All electrical, chemical and mechanical components must undergo and pass series of rigorous performance and reliability tests --- benchmarking on well-established standards and sets of parameters. Series of synchronization procedures have to be undertaken to ensure that electrical output is harmonized with the grid.
Moreover, safety and environmental protection equipment and facilities have to be tested and re-tested to determine whether they are indeed reliably functioning and to ultimately ensure that power plant operation is safe, efficient, and environmentally-compatible.
As the target date for commercial operation draws near, all workers at the plant site zealously prepare for the most crucial part of the gamut of the entire commissioning process which is the final guarantee and efficiency test for the twin power generating units. The units are started-up and kept working on a continuing and uninterrupted period of at least one-month to determine whether the machine is indeed producing the desired electrical output on a sustained basis.
To the delight of those guaranteeing the operation as well as the management and staff of SPI, the twin units have finally passed the ultimate trial period culminating with the signing of the acceptance test by all the concerned parties and cooperating agencies.
All the waiting is over, finally the power is on --- reaching out and lighting up thousands of households in Mindanao --- making lives better and a lot brighter for all of them.