Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Koreans to put up solar plant in Paoay

business mirror

TUESDAY, 21 JUNE 2011 19:32 LEILANIE ADRIANO / CORRESPONDENT


PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—About 60 hectares of government-owned timberland in this town are being eyed by Korean investors as a possible site for a multimillion-peso solar power-plant project.
On Tuesday, top Korean investors visited the proposed project site in this town after a courtesy meeting with Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.
A week earlier, technical personnel of a Korean company inspected the sand dunes of Paoay as a feasible site for the solar project expected to harness about 60 megawatts of solar energy which will be distributed by the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative to its consumers.
Paoay has 80 hectares of available land. Although the visit is exploratory, the Korean investors appeared to have been impressed by Paoay’s solar-energy protential, which was first presented to them.
Lawyer Hermie Labayog as provincial assessor of the Ilocos Norte provincial government said they have shown the Koreans at least four possible sites for the solar project such as in the city of Batac and the towns of Badoc, Piddig and Paoay.
Labayog said the Koreans need between 50 and 60 has. to build the power plant.  All four sites have the available hectarage needed for the power plant.
 In Suba, the provincial assessor’s office was able to identify 800 hectares as a possible site for the project.
Aside from the solar energy plant, Labayog added that the Koreans are also exploring other business opportunities here as they plan to bring in Korean students to learn English in top universities in the province.

IN PHOTO -- PAOAY, Ilocos Norte is known for the San Agustin Church, built during the Spanish era and a Unesco-world heritage site. The town will also play host to the first commercial solar-energy plant in the province. --LEILANIE ADRIAN

No comments:

Post a Comment