ABB engineers race against time to restore renewable power in the Philippines
Rapid restoration of critical geothermal power generation demonstrates ABB's commitment to keeping renewable energy flowing when communities need it most.
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At its Nasulo geothermal power plant in Valencia, Negros Island, Energy Development Corporation (EDC) — the Philippines' largest geothermal energy producer — had delivered uninterrupted sustainable power to the Visayas region for over 37 years. But when a severe tropical storm caused widespread damage across the Philippines, the renewable energy facility faced an unprecedented operational challenge.
Two months' rainfall in less than two days and cyclonic winds caused flash floods and devastation with almost two hundred fatalities, over two thousand homes damaged or destroyed, and power outages affecting 370 cities. For EDC's three-plant facility generating 110 MW of clean energy, the storm forced a complete shutdown that was costing over PHP15 million each day.
Jojo S. Salva, Senior Supervisor at EDC, said: "After 37 years of reliable operations, seeing our plant completely shut down was devastating. We immediately called ABB because we knew they had the technical expertise to diagnose complex electrical faults quickly."
Engineering excellence in crisis
An emergency call to ABB, supplier of the plant's electrical infrastructure, triggered an immediate response. Field service engineers travelled 500+ miles to the remote site, arriving within 24 hours. Working under challenging post-storm conditions and the pressure of millions in daily losses, the team deployed advanced diagnostic equipment to assess critical infrastructure across three generating units.
The ABB engineers' expertise proved invaluable as they quickly identified that damaged protection relays were the root cause of the complete shutdown. With the fault located, ABB’s team immediately began the repair and reconfiguration process on-site, working with precision to restore the relays to full operational status and provided the customer with actionable recommendations for ongoing system reliability.
In less than 48 hours after the emergency call, ABB had completed the critical relay repairs. By Monday morning, all units were back online and feeding power into the regional grid. Swift diagnosis and repair avoided what could have been weeks of extended downtime, restoring confidence in the Philippines' renewable energy infrastructure, and proving that expert technical partnerships can overcome even the most demanding circumstances.
Rapid response transforms crisis into recovery
Beyond operational recovery, EDC's restoration was about ensuring renewable energy access for nearly a million people. With ABB's rapid response, the company avoided extended outages and demonstrated the resilience of sustainable power generation in the face of natural disasters.
Daniel Cabasa, Project Manager for ABB Electrification Service in the Philippines said: " As an extension of EDC's team, our deep knowledge of their systems enabled us to ensure they could avoid weeks of devastating downtime. This is why long-term partnerships matter: being there when customers need us most, with the expertise to restore critical infrastructure against all odds."
" ABB’s Electrification Service team acted fast, worked meticulously, and restored our operations ahead of schedule,” Salva added. “We're back to full operations and serving our communities thanks to their exceptional response.”
EDC's swift recovery proves that with the right partner, clean power can weather any storm — and come back stronger.
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