Geothermal Energy in Tiwi

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant complex is located in Tiwi, Albay province. It consists of three generating units, namely, Plant A with two 60-MW units, Plant B with two 55-MW units, and Plant C with two 57-MW units. Plant B's Unit 4 was retired or decommissioned in 2003. The complex was first commissioned in 1979. The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant actually consists of three separate plants. What you can see in the satellite image thumbnail is Plant A, while Plant B is located roughly a kilometer to the east-southeast, and Plant C about a kilometer to the southwest. These three plants have a combined 275 megawatts of generating capacity. These three plants harness geothermal energy in the area known as the Tiwi Geothermal Field. This is part of the 17,661-hectare geothermal area in Albay that was reserved by Pres. Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 739 in 1970 following the passage of Republic Act No. 5092 or the Geothermal Law in 1967. The harnessing of geothermal energy was quite timely since it helped saved the Philippines millions of dollars during the 1970s oil crisis.

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant has been the source of electricity in almost the entire province of Luzon. One of the other main uses of geothermal energy is the same concept but in reverse in cold months. Geothermal energy technology is used to bring warmer temperatures into your home without using fossil fuels, just by tapping into a heat exchange deep below the surface of the earth. Some of the common uses of geothermal energy are amongst farmers who are farming near the site, use geothermal energy to heat their greenhouses. Industry is another consumer of geothermal energy. Its uses vary from drying fruits, drying vegetables, drying wood, and dying wool to extracting gold and silver from ore.

The Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant is a natural source of energy and this heat is primary one. In comparison for example with fossil fuels, there are no additional steps or mid-steps required in order to make and obtain heat. Earth accumulates heat that would be enough to satisfy global energy demand for more than 10 billion years. In addition, this heat is accumulated either by adsorbing sunshine through surface or by happening specific chemical and physical reactions in Earth’s solid iron core. Dangerous products of these reactions (UV radiation, dangerous gases, nuclear elements etc.) remains either in space, outside the ozone layer of Earth’s atmosphere, or enough deep in proximity of Earth’s core, which means deeper than magma. Therefore creating of this heat doesn’t represent relevant danger.

Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant is generally considered environmentally friendly and does not cause significant amounts of pollution. Geothermal reservoirs are naturally replenished and therefore renewable (it is not possible to exhaust the resources). Excellent for meeting the base load energy demand (as opposed to other renewables such as wind and solar). Harnessing geothermal energy does not involve any fuels, which means less cost fluctuations and stable electricity prices. Geothermal energy is available everywhere, although only some resources are profitably exploitable. Recent technological advancements (e.g. enhanced geothermal systems) have made more resources exploitable and lowered costs.

There are some minor environmental issues associated with geothermal power. Tiwi Geothermal Power Plants can in extreme cases cause earthquakes being near to Mayon Volcano which can be devastating through volcanic earthquakes. There are heavy upfront costs associated with both geothermal power plants and geothermal heating/cooling systems. Geothermal power is only sustainable (renewable) if the reservoirs are properly managed.

The bottom line is this: Tiwi Geothermal Plant is generally regarded as environmentally friendly, sustainable and reliable. This makes geothermal energy a no-brainer in some places, but heavy upfront costs stops us from realizing the full potential. How much influence geothermal power will have on our energy systems in the future depends on technological advancements, energy prices and politics (subsidies). No one really knows what the situation will look one or two decades down the line. In conclusion, environmental impact of geothermal energy depends on how it is being exploited and which approach is taken. But a geothermal plant in general does not burn fossil fuels or coal in order to produce electricity. Altogether, geothermal energy represents clean modern solution for growing energy demand as well as for steps against climate change.