MGen subsidiary corners deal for provision of ‘fast start’ power capacity in Singapore


At a glance

  • The hydrogen-ready power project can swiftly ramp up “from standstill to full load within 18 minutes,” which is the kind of flexibility needed in a power system that is into its energy transition track.


PacificLight Power Pte Ltd (PLP), a subsidiary of the Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen), has cornered a deal on the provision of 100 megawatts (MW) of ‘fast start’ generation capacity for the Singapore electricity market.

The supply deal had been awarded by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the regulating entity of the Singapore electricity and gas markets; and capacity delivery from the MGen project is set to start by the second quarter of this year.

As a ‘fast start’ capacity provider, the power generating facility must have the ability to be dispatched at a very quick pace – typically within less than an hour timeframe.

MGen emphasized that the hydrogen-ready power project can swiftly ramp up “from standstill to full load within 18 minutes,” which is the kind of flexibility needed in a power system that is into its energy transition track.

PLP CEO Yu Tat Ming asserted that “this award marks a significant milestone for our company, and we are committed to delivering the project on time and reliably supporting the energy system.”

The provision of the contracted ‘fast start capacity’, according to MGen, has been in support of 
“Singapore’s call to ensure uninterrupted power when unexpected events occur in its power system.”

The mode of development of the two power generating units will be anchored on a build-own and-operate (BOO) system for a cooperation period of 25 years.

MGen President and CEO Jaime T. Azurin highlighted that the project award “is a testament of PLP’s consistent reliable performance and its good record of being able to deliver as promised.”

He stated the new facility addition “contributes to MGen’s drive for more sustainable power generation as it transitions to low-carbon power generation such as LNG in the Philippines, creating a more balanced energy mix along with the company’s increasing renewable energy portfolio.”

Additionally, MGen emphasized that the contract it clinched “demonstrates PLP’s commitment to providing dependable power supply to meet the rising energy demands through strategic operational expansions while also producing low-carbon power generation as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.

The Meralco subsidiary-company is currently operating an 800MW gas plant in Singapore; and in recent years, that asset has been a ‘major income driver’ that has been beefing up both the top and bottom lines of the power utility-parent.