Vivant expands Palawan power projects

Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star) - March 28, 2019 - 12:00am

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/03/28/1905065/vivant-expands-palawan-power-projects

MANILA, Philippines — Cebu-based Vivant Corp. and its partner are committed to expand their power projects in Palawan to resolve the power supply problems and serve the growing demand in the island.

Vivant said its joint venture projects with Gigawatt Power Inc. (GPI) have expansion plans to ensure adequate power supply to serve the island’s needs.

This will complement the distribution developments of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco).

“Ultimately, that combined with the upcoming system improvements covered by Paleco’s ERC-approved capex program and Delta P Inc. (DPI) and Calamian Islands Power Corp. (CIPC)’s proven track records of service are poised to be the three catalysts that will help alleviate Palawan’s power supply problems for good,” DPI and CIPC president Walden Tantuico said.

He was referring to the recent approval by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Paleco’s capex program, which is aimed at improving its ability to serve the needs of its member-consumers.

DPI is the largest and most reliable new power provider in mainland Palawan served by Paleco, while CIPC has significantly improved the power supply and reliability situation in Busuanga Island covered by Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative (BISELCO).

Both operations have been providing Palawan with reliable power supply for nearly a decade.

DPI had built a 30-megawatt (MW) bunker base load expansion power plant in Bgy. Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City after mainland Palawan experienced unusually frequent brownouts in summer 2016.

The project started operations on March 15, 2017 despite the threat that regulatory approvals may not allow full recovery of its investment. The ERC approved the project only on May 11, 2017.

To-date, the National Power Corp. still owes DPI some P30 million in capacity and energy fees.

Meanwhile, CIPC helped alleviate regular blackouts within the franchise of BISELCO, which has upgraded its rating to AA under National Electrification Administration’s Electric Cooperative overall performance assessment.

This helped boost tourism and construction development in and around the island, which continues to drive demand and the need for additional generation capacity in order to sustain the island’s growth.