PCPC says 135-MW coal plant in Panay to become fully operational by August

PCPC says 135-MW coal plant in Panay to become fully operational by August

PALM Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) said it expects its 135-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant on Panay Island, which is undergoing restoration, to be fully operational by Aug. 3.

In an advisory on Friday, the company said United Kingdom-based contractor Quartzelec Ltd. is undertaking a two-phase repair for the damaged generator.

A preliminary repair, which began on June 10, would re-insulate the damaged coils that would make the power plant become fully operational by August, according to PCPC said.

“This provisional fix is to enable the power plant to be functional at the soonest possible time to ensure a stable supply of electricity to the Island of Panay,” the company said.

It said the power plant would undergo a permanent repair “concurrently” during the annual preventive maintenance schedule in October to November 2025 “due to the manufacturing lead time of the replacement parts from abroad.”

“We have notified various stakeholders across the energy sector and the government on this significant update,” it added.

The company in March said the plant would not be synchronized with the grid by the end of that month as it conducts its annual preventive maintenance service schedule, which ran from Feb. 18 to March 30. 

The company said the plant’s generator “sustained stator insulation damage” which would be fixed by replacing the damaged parts. It said it needed to import parts to fix the damage.

PCPC is a joint venture of A Brown Co., Inc. and Jin Navitas Resource, Inc. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera