Friday, May 9, 2014

DOE assures additional power by 2016

Sunstar Iloilo
By Lydia C. Pendon
Friday, May 9, 2014

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has assured additional 285 megawatts of power to be connected to the Visayas Grid once the two coal-fired power plants in Iloilo are commissioned and operational by June 2016.

The Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) is constructing a 135 megawatt coal fired power plant costing some P13.5 billion at its 37 hectare site in Concepcion.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who attended the planning of PCPC in May 8, said Iloilo is fortunate to be the beneficiary of P29-billion worth of investments within two months.

Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said the PCPC plant will assure power consumers in electric cooperatives in northern Iloilo, central Iloilo, and the provinces of Capiz and Aklan of stable electricity supply once the power plant is operational.

The first power plant investment this year was built in Iloilo City after Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC) started last month the construction of a 150 MW coal fired power plant in Barangay Ingore, La Paz district, Iloilo City.

The second coal fired power plant in the city has a project cost of P15.6 billion which will be operated by the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) and distributed by Panay Electric Company (Peco).

Drilon said the local economy cannot expand and develop without power. Western Visayas has a growth rate of 7.5 percent in 2012 and it is imperative to sustain the economy by developing more power plants and resources.

Petilla said the growth of renewable energy sources in Western Visayas will also attract more investments here.

Among the renewable energy are the biomass plants proposed in central Iloilo, a 12 MW solar plant currently being developed in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, wind power plant being developed in Guimaras, waste-to energy plant in Iloilo City, and solar farm and power plant also in Iloilo City. source

No comments:

Post a Comment