Power from the ground
17th November 2010 by Andrew Matheson, Manila | No Comments
When I visited the lovely island of Leyte recently, I took the chance to see first-hand the outcome of one of the most successful assistance projects New Zealand has been involved with in the Philippines. And I was impressed.
Part of the Tongonan geothermal field today
Back in the 1970s, New Zealand used its expertise in geothermal electricity generation to help the Philippines set up power stations of its own. New Zealand scientists, engineers and other specialists worked at the Tongonan geothermal field on the west coast of Leyte. Philippine staff went to New Zealand for training. The cooperation spanned 12 years and expanded to cover other parts of the Philippines.
It was a logical partnership. Both countries sit on the Pacific ‘ring of fire’, the series of fault lines that cause active volcanoes, geothermal fields — and earthquakes, as we’ve been reminded in New Zealand recently. New Zealand was a pioneer in harnessing this underground energy for electricity generation, commissioning the world’s second commercial geothermal power station at Wairakei in 1958. Nearly half the graduates from the world’s four international geothermal training centres have gone through the one at the University of Auckland in New Zealand — many of them Filipinos.
The Philippines has put New Zealand’s investment of funds and expertise to good use. It’s now the world’s second-biggest producer of geothermal electricity after the USA (New Zealand is sixth), and here nearly 20 percent of electricity comes from this source.
The Leyte geothermal field at Tongonan now boasts five separate power stations, together producing 700 MW of electricity from what is the world’s largest wet steam field. I was very impressed with the operation, including the good state of the plant, the high output efficiency and the obvious pride and professionalism of the staff.
With the enthusiastic geothermal specialists at Tongonan
Though it began more than 30 years ago, they haven’t forgotten how it all started. “New Zealanders were my mentors,” enthused the Tongonan field manager Manny Paete to me. I was constantly being told of the ideas and input New Zealand had provided as the field was being developed.
Many countries are striving to increase their use of renewable energy. About 70 percent of New Zealand’s electricity comes from renewable sources, mostly hydro. Some 10 percent of the total is from geothermal sources, and there are exciting plans to increase that. I know the Philippines is planning to develop further geothermal power stations as a way of meeting its electricity needs. New Zealand’s geothermal sector has skills in exploration, monitoring and training, and a wide range of clean technology services.
The Philippines has made very good use of New Zealand’s aid and technical assistance to establish its geothermal power industry. I hope that New Zealand businesses will be able to partner with Philippine ones in further developing this country’s energy sector.
