Business World Online
Posted on July 03, 2013 06:40:23 PM
A CONSORTIUM developing a 20-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant in Oriental Mindoro plans to use the facility’s heated water to grow tilapia, sea bass and shrimps, the group said in a statement last month.
Tilapia fingerlings to be used for aquaculture are shown in this Aug. 8, 2010 file photo. -- BW File Photo
The group said use of such water from the plant will result in “healthier and tastier fish and shrimps.”
“There is more to geothermal energy than the production of power. Mother Earth’s bosom can also help us do so much more, including shortening the time needed for growing fish and shrimps the natural way,” the statement quoted Antonie de Wilde, EPRHI chief technical officer, as saying.
CEC Chairman Jose P. Leviste, Jr. said in the same statement that the planned aquaculture venture will use heated water from the plant which have a slightly lower temperature than what is found in geothermal fields in Leyte and Mindanao.
“The temperature range between 150 degrees Celsius (ºC) and 200ºC provides a medium enthalpy resource to assure...viability of water and steam for aquaculture use,” the statement read.
“Constellation Energy Corp. and Emerging Power will enter into joint ventures with local enterprises for the development of fish farms to grow tilapia and sea bass,” Mr. Leviste said, noting that controlled temperature coming from steam ensure shorter growing time for fish and shrimps.
NEW ZEALAND MODEL
Mr. de Wilde noted further that “Mindoro will also be home for the world’s second geothermal shrimp farm.”
He explained that the project “will be modeled after the shrimp farm in Kawerau New Zealand, which started in 1987 on the banks of the Waikato River, next to the Wairakei power station.”
He said that by 2005, the 5.8-hectare farm in New Zealand was producing about 20 tons of shrimps per year.
“The farm heats its own water with heat exchangers, which draw heat from the geothermal power station before it (water) is re-injected into the geothermal reservoir,” the statement read.
In an e-mail last week, Mr. de Wilde further explained that the “planned aquaculture project will use the hot geothermal water, which will have cooled down from 200ºC to 100ºC when it is used to produce electricity.”
“The advantage of using geothermal fluids is that they contain natural micro organisms, which make the use of artificial antibiotics such as amoxicillin no longer necessary,” Mr. de Wilde said.
“These organically grown fish have a better taste and are healthier than the shrimp and tilapia grown with the use of artificial chemical-based additives.”
While there is no definite timetable yet for the aquaculture project, Mr. de Wilde said that construction of the geothermal system needed for the project will take around three years.
He added the consortium expects to produce about 10 tons of fish per year.
“The fish that will be produced is triple A quality. It will be sold to local resorts and hotels in the Philippines and can be exported to China and Japan,” Mr. de Wilde said.
The three companies also plan to develop areas around the geothermal power project into a hot spring and wellness center “to effect a fusion of green energy and green tourism.”
Mr. Leviste had said last month that a hot spring and wellness center can serve as a new attraction for Mindoro.
“The hot spring resort will boost Oriental Mindoro’s economy and tourism. The place has not developed much over the years for lack of investors willing to pump in money into the remote barangay,” Mr. Leviste had said.
According to the statement, CEC -- together with its technical and financial partners -- develops geothermal steam fields. Besides the project in Montelago, the company is also developing other energy projects in Biliran province and Negros Island.
IF Technology is a geothermal consultancy and engineering company based in Arnhem, the Netherlands, while EPRHI is a local firm that advises on economic, procurement, environmental and financial aspects of renewable energy projects in the Philippines. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano source
No comments:
Post a Comment