Davao San Miguel power station

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Davao San Miguel power station is an operating power station of at least 300-megawatts (MW) in Culaman, Malita, Davao Occidental, Mindanao, Philippines with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Malita power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Davao San Miguel power station	Culaman, Malita, Davao Occidental, Mindanao, Philippines	6.39351, 125.61684 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 6.39351, 125.61684

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Unit 1	operating	coal: subbituminous	150	CFB	2017
Unit 2	operating	coal: subbituminous	150	CFB	2018
Unit 3	cancelled	coal: subbituminous	150	subcritical	–
Unit 4	cancelled	coal: subbituminous	150	subcritical	–
Unit 5	cancelled	coal: subbituminous	300	subcritical	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	Malita Power Inc [100%]	San Miguel Corp [100.0%]
Unit 2	Malita Power Inc [100%]	San Miguel Corp [100.0%]
Unit 3	San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp [100%]	San Miguel Corp [100.0%]
Unit 4	San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp [100%]	San Miguel Corp [100.0%]
Unit 5	San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp [100%]	San Miguel Corp [100.0%]

Background

Originally the Davao Power Plant project was described as a 300 MW coal plant consisting of two 150 MW units. In June 2013 San Miguel Corporation disclosed plans for two additional phases. Phase II, an additional 300-MW unit, would be completed by 2018; Phase III, two 300 MW units, would be completed in 2019 and 2020. The project would be fed by San Miguel's coal mines in Mindanao.

In May 2016, SMC Global president Alan T. Ortiz said that the project would consist of four units of 150 MW each. "600 MW is more realistic," he said, in contrast to earlier plans that had foreseen as much as 1200 MW built at the site, including two units of 150 MW each and three units of 300 MW each. According to Ortiz, the first unit of the project would begin operating in July, Unit 2 would begin operating at the end of the year, and Units 3 and 4 had not yet begun construction. Ortiz estimated the cost of the plants at US$2 million per megatwatt, or US$1.2 billion for the 600 MW facility.

A new transmission line connecting the plant to other locations in Davao was approved February 2015.

As of 2020, the power station reportedly employed 230 people.

Phase I

San Miguel broke ground on the two-unit Phase I in July 2013. This first phase was slated to cost P25.8 billion, or $630 million. As of September 2014, the project was running behind schedule, with completion scheduled for February 2016 for Unit 1, and July 2016 for Unit 2. Construction was at 37% complete in February 2015.

In August 2016 it was reported Unit 1 was undergoing testing and was planned for commercial operation that month. Unit 2 was planned for the end of 2016. As of January 2017, Unit 1 was operational. In August 2017 the Department of Energy gave a target of September 2017 for commercial operations. Unit 2 was listed as completed as of Q1 of 2017.

Phase II

San Miguel had completed land acquisition for Phases II & III by September 2014, and was working on securing financing and remaining permits.

In June 2016 San Miguel obtained approval to build a 328 MW coal plant in Davao (this larger amount may reflect the gross capacity of the new units, as other reports still listed it as a 4 x 150 MW project). As of January 2017, plans for Phase II had "yet to be finalized." As of June 2020 there has been no further news about Phase II and it appears to have been cancelled.

Biomass conversion

In October 2018 SMC announced that it would convert its existing power plants using CFB technology into biomass power facilities, including its coal-fired plants in Limay and Malita. As of May 2021, there had been no updates on the progress of the conversion to biomass other than the initial announcement, and the project appears to be shelved. The December 2020 list of existing power plants released by the Philippines Department of Energy still listed SMC's Davao San Miguel / Malita power station as coal-powered. There were also no listed biomass facilities operated by SMC, nor were any announced or under construction.

Public opposition

In 2012, Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS) of the Diocese of Digos, signed a petition letter opposing the coal plant and its affiliated mines. The letter stated “that coal energy and large scale mining threaten our hopes for a sustainable future for our children. It is unacceptable that we be made to suffer the harmful effects of a coal-fired power plant in our municipality with the knowledge that environmentally friendly solutions in the form of clean renewable energy are widely available and readily deployable."

The letter cited the impact of the project on the ancestral lands of the Tagakaulo people and deplored the "probable irregularity" with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and local governmental officials had obtained free and prior informed consent (FPIC) from indigenous communities.

Ownership name change

In March 2023, parent company SMC Global Power Holdings Corp changed the names of many of its subsidiaries, although no change in ownership took place. Included in these changes was the renaming of 'San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation' to 'Malita Power Inc.'

Financing

In February 2024, four environmental and human rights groups filed a complaint with a UK government agency against Standard Chartered over its role in financing four coal plants in the Philippines, including Davao San Miguel power station, Masinloc power station, Limay power station, and the Dinginin power station expansion. The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Inclusive Development International, Recourse, and BankTrack complaint stated that local communities near the plants "have suffered economic and physical displacement, adverse health impacts, threats and intimidation of community activists" and were seeking compensation for those affected. The complaint requests the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NCP), a government unit responsible for compliance with OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, to facilitate dialogue with the complainants and several local community members to resolve the issues.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.