Manila's Napocor buys 130,000 T coal from Indonesia

MANILA, July 15 (Reuters) - Top Philippine electricity producer National Power Corp (Napocor) has awarded contracts for two lots of 65,000 tonnes of regular coal to an Indonesian supplier at $188 a tonne, including cost and freight, it said on Tuesday.

The contract to supply 130,000 tonnes, or 2 Panamax shipments, for the Sual plant north of Manila, was awarded to Indonesia's PT Kaltim Prima Coal, said Juan Carlos Guadarrama, a senior Napocor official.

The contract for the 2 lots of regular coal was for a guaranteed gross calorific value of 6,100 kcal/kg.

The coal for the 1,294-megawatt Sual plant is slated for delivery between Sept. 30 and Oct. 9 and then Dec. 21 to 30.

Guadarrama said state-run Napocor was waiting for final government approval for three other contracts awarded to three Indonesian producers for 175,000 tonnes of blending coal, also for Sual at $206 a tonne C&F.

Under the deals, PT Indominco Mandiri, PT Kaltim Prima Coal, and Manyplus Enterprises SDN BHD will supply 65,000 tonnes, 65,000 tonnes and 45,000 tonnes of coal for Sual respectively for delivery from September to December.

Guadarrama said Napocor was also seeking offers from previous suppliers to supply 65,000 tonnes of high-performance coal for the Pagbilao plant after a lone offer last week was rejected because the asking price was above the approved budget.

Napocor is left with three-coal fired power plants after it sold off the 600-megawatt Masinloc and 600-megawatt Calaca facilities as part of a power privatisation programme.

Napocor sources most of its coal requirements from foreign producers and traders from China, Indonesia and Australia. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Carmel Crimmins)