Published
By Madelaine B.Miraflor
A proposed steel
manufacturing project is expected to increase the power demand in Mindanao, but
the Gotianun family-led FDC Misamis Power Corporation (FDC Misamis) said it is
ready to cater to such demand.
HBIS Group, China’s
second-biggest steel producing company, is currently planning to set up its
facilities in PHIVIDEC industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental this year.
HBIS is reportedly
pouring in $4.4-billion in investments through a two-phase project with the
objective of producing millions of tons of hot-rolled coil and 600,000 tons of
slab annually in the first phase, and another eight million tons in the
following phase.
“Given the opportunity,
we are very much ready to supply our neighboring industries since we have an
advantage over other suppliers. We have proven our plant’s reliability since
the start of its commercial operation in 2016. We are located near the steel
plants’ proposed site which means less susceptibility to disturbance in the
transmission system and, of course, minimal or zero line rental charge once
WESM in Mindanao becomes operational,” said FDC Misamis President and CEO Juan
Eugenio L. Roxas.
The Mindanao
Development Authority (MinDa) said that by 2025 Mindanao’s current demand,
which is around 1,600-megawatt (MW) to 1,700-MW, will increase by 500-MW to
600-MW.
According to the
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Mindanao’s current
capacity is about 2,400-MW to 2,500-MW.
Although there is
currently an oversupply of approximately 800-MW in the region, MinDa reiterated
that Mindanao would still need an additional 100-MW per year to cope with
rising power demand.
MinDa cited some of the
major upcoming economic projects in Mindanao, which would be contributing to
the demand for power, such as the Mindanao Railway System (MRS), new hotels and
malls, and the entry of two giant foreign steel companies in Davao City and
Misamis Oriental.
FDC officials said that
on the part of the company, it has consistently provided adequate supply to its
customers.
FDC Misamis plant
manager Luis Lagarnia, Jr., confirmed the consistent performance of the
coal-fired power plant for the past two years.
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