Aboitiz Power Corp. will pursue studies assessing decarbonization strategies including the feasibility of co-firing ammonia in coal plants and hydrogen in liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities to reduce carbon emissions.
The company said the study is in collaboration with JERA Co. Inc. of Japan and likely to start next year. Cofiring involves incorporating a secondary fuel with a primary fuel like coal in the same combustion chamber power companies use in this case.
“Assuming everything goes well, our aim is to get [results] within the decade. Hopefully by 2030, the price of ammonia has already gone down and then we can do our own tests in one of our facilities,” said Felino Bernardo, Aboitiz Power Thermal Power Generation Group chief operating officer.
Bernardo said there is a need to develop the technology and the supply chain before co-firing can be considered feasible in the Philippines and that more time may be required to solidify investments and improve the supply chain.
Aboitiz Power said JERA is starting a 20 percent ammonia generation demonstration test this year in Japan and raise it beyond 50 percent by 2028.
Bernardo said Aboitiz Power is also trying to get financial support for its own ammonia co-firing feasibility study from Japan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry.
He also mentioned the possible role of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in the country’s bid to transition to a cleaner energy mix.
“I believe that could be part of the Philippine energy mix. It’s just a matter of time. What’s important is that we make sure that we have the capacity to plan and execute it in a safe way. Safety is number one as far as nuclear technology is concerned… If the promise of SMR comes true, it’s going to be affordable as well,” Bernardo said.
Aboitiz Power eyes spending around P190 billion over the next decade for an additional 3,700 MW of renewable energy, expanding its capacity to 4,600 MW or three times its renewables portfolio by 2030.
