Business World Online
Posted on 09:46 PM, December 15, 2010
THE NATIONAL Power Corp. (Napocor) is currently under negotiations with two companies to provide capacity to off-grid areas.
Napocor President Froilan A. Tampinco said during the Energy Investment Forum held yesterday that it is in negotiations with Enfinity Corp. and Clenergen Philippines Corp. to provide around 10 to 15 megawatts (MW) of power to its Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) by the middle of next year.
“The ones under negotiations are Enfinity, which is involved in solar energy development, and the other one is Clenergen. We’re moving a step forward; we already signed a memorandum of agreement for feasibility studies and now we’re going to jointly work on a business plan which we will submit to the Department of Energy. Right now, we are determining if we will be the offtaker of power or a joint venture,” said Mr. Tampinco.
He added the areas where the solar energy facilities of Enfinity and the biomass plants of Clenergen, as well as the estimated cost of the projects, are still being discussed.
Mr. Tampinco also said many of the areas where capacity will be put in are in the Visayas and in Palawan. SPUG areas are not connected to the main grid.
Napocor subsidizes electricity in these areas through the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification (UCME). Mr. Tampinco earlier said it is hoping UCME rates be increased to P0.23 per kilowatt-hour to allow Napocor to have operating funds for SPUG areas of P8.19 billion.
Napocor is hoping investments in SPUG areas reach P7 billion to P10 billion including transmission projects. -- ENJD
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