First Gen Corporation owns power plants that serve distinct electricity market segments in the Philippines. It maintains power plants which utilize natural gas, geothermal, wind, hydro, and solar power, all of which are operational and majority-owned and controlled through its subsidiaries. The prime subsidiary expounded was the First Gen Clean Energy Complex Plants. The initial section of the articulate discourse spelled out how the First Gen powers 16% of the Philippines’ installed capacity through usage of clean and renewable energy from indigenous sources. Furthermore, presentations showed how the distinct portfolio of the First Gen’s power assets situate the company as a leading provider of both clean and competitively-priced energy needed by the country. The chart depicted that natural gas has the greatest First Gen power asset of about 58%, followed by geothermal, 34%, and four percent for both hydro and wind-and-solar.
As the power assets were given the limelight, the natural gas asset was initially substantiated. The students learned that the natural gas assets of the First Gen are situated in Brgy. Sta. Rita Aplaya, Brgy. Sta. Rita Karsada and Brgy. Bolbok – all located in Batangas Province. Moreover, the First Gen Clean Energy Complex was identified as the encompassing faculty for the natural gas assets namely Santa Rita, San Lorenzo, San Gabriel, and Avion. Santa Rita and San Lorenzo power plants distinctively provide the anchor loads needed for the Malampaya gas-to-power project.
As first Gen provides electricity through different types of electric power plants, most of them are from renewable sources. In the northern part of the country the company uses wind and solar power as a source of energy and changes it into electrical energy. Aside from wind and solar energy, First Gen also has hydroelectric facilities which convert hydroelectric power into electrical energy. Next is the geothermal power plant which can be found all over the country. First Gen companies mostly focus on using geothermal energy or energy form below the ground. There are around twelve power plants all over that country that use geothermal energy that is owned by First Gen. Lastly, the natural gas power plant which is around four in the country that was owned by First Gen and the only source that is not renewable but the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. Natural Gas power plants are the main source that the company uses to generate electricity. The best thing about First Gen is that almost all of their power plants are functioning 24/7 to provide every family with enough electricity.
First Gen facilities aim to generate electricity using different energy sources. To give an idea of the general information how the electricity is generated and delivered to all of the household/customers. The whole possess is called First Gen Value Chain which describes the process of providing electricity to customers. It starts with offshore supply as the source of natural gas and it will be delivered to power plants through pipelines for the natural gas. While for the natural gas in liquid condensate form, it will be delivered in fuel getty. The liquid fuel will be used as a backup in case any problem occurs in the process.
The natural gas will be processed in the power generation power plant to produce electrical energy. Electricity will be collected by the power grid from power plants which are connected to the distributor such as Meralco and Batelec. Distributors are responsible for providing electricity to households.
The process of electricity generation is divided into four parts. First is the extraction of raw materials like the Malampaya Gas Field in Palawan. Then, it will be processed by SPEX Onshore Gas Platform. Next, generation through power plants. After generating electricity, it will be transmitted to the power grid through a transmission line. The last part is distribution but First Gen is not the distributor of electricity but they are the one producing it through the use of different processes which depend on the raw materials.
Some power plants of First Gen such as Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo power plant in Batangas both use the Joule-Brayton Cycle which is used in gas turbines.
This figure results in around 55-56% efficiency for Santa Rita and San Lorenzo power plants and around 60% in San Gabriel.
The Company also shows different equipment in the Santa Rita and San Lorenzo plant:
Gas Turbines
Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG)
Steam Turbines
Generator
Equipment in San Gabriel power plant:
Gas Turbine
Steam Turbine
Generator
HRSG
Equipment in Avion Open-Cycle Power Plant:
Gas Turbine
Generator and Chiller
Towering the high amount of greenhouse gases that are produced by improper actions - the carbon footprint - First Gen ensures providing clean and sustainable energy all the way. The expounding on the anatomy of the process of generating electricity cleanly and sustainably through indigenous sources are high-valued knowledge for the future chemical and environmental engineers. The plant tour was strongly finished through Engr. Manalo’s valuable insights on supplementary and enriched questions by the students for the furtherance of the latter’s learning.