DEVELOPMENT IN THE TIWI GEOTHERMAL AREA The Tiwi Geothermal Complex is located in Tiwi, Albay, Bicol on the northeast slope of potentially active Mount Malinao. The Tiwi field is the first geothermal area in the Philippines to be commercially developed on a large-scale basis (Camu & Santiago, 2000). This was also the first use of geothermal steam for power generation in the Philippines (Menzies et al, 2010). In 1971, the National Power Corporation (NPC) and Chevron Geothermal Philippines Holdings (CGPHI) (a subsidiary of the Union Oil Company of California) joined forces to develop geothermal resources in Tiwi and explore the resource in the area. The first deep discovery well, Naglagbong-1, was drilled from March to June 1972 and eventually led to a 55 MW generation unit in January 1979 due to its successful demonstration of the resource’s commercial viability (Menzies et al, 2010). By May of that year, 45 wells were drilled and the NPC (the entity tasked to ‘construct, operate and maintain facilities for the production of electricity’ since 1936) assumed control of the entire Tiwi prospect area (approximately 17,661 hectares and outlined in Figure 11 above) for commercial electricity generation. The environmental and social impact of the Tiwi Geothermal Complex, like other geothermal projects, are primarily described as savings on oil imports and profit for the national economy.
MOUNT MALINAO
(Figure 13) Source: Google Earth
