Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant is a 234-MW geothermal power station in Tiwi, Albay, Philippines.

Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant
Country	Philippines
Location	Albay, Philippines
Coordinates	13°27′56.5″N 123°38′58.1″E
Status	Operational
Commission date	1979
Owner	AP Renewables
Operator	AP Renewables
Geothermal power station
Type	Flash steam (existing) / Binary cycle (planned)
Power generation
Units operational	4 units[1]
Units planned	1 unit
Nameplate capacity	234 MW

History

Pilot geothermal plant. 1970

The Commission on Volcanology conducted an exploration of the Tiwi geothermal field from 1964 to 1968.^[2]

The Philippine government in early 1971 invited the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal) to form the Philippine Geothermal, Inc. (PGI) which is intended as a joint venture for the exploration and development of geothermal energy. A service contract was made with the state-owned National Power Corporation (NPC) on September 10, 1971.

PGI contributed technical knowledge as well as a portion of the Tiwi field's exploration and development. NPC would construct and run the geothermal power stations. The first two units were put into service in 1979. Units 3 through 6 would be operational from 1980 to 1982.^[2]

The geothermal field would then be acquired by Aboitiz Power in 2009.^[3][4] The company would own and operate the plant under its subsidiary AP Renewables.^[5]

In January 2023, a new binary cycle power plant within the Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant broke ground. It will add 17-MW capacity to the existing geothermal complex.^[6]

Facilities

The Tiwi Geothermal Field is divided into four geographical areas: Naglagbong, Kapipihan, Matalibong, and Bariis.^[2] At one point it had six units and a 330-MW capacity.^[7]

As of December 2021, the Tiwi geothermal facility has four units and a capacity of 234-MW.^[1]