President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the inauguration of the 135-megawatt (MW) Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) power plant of Palm Concepcion Power Corporation on Monday, November 28, in Rizal Hall, Malacañang Palace Manila.
The power plant which is located in Concepcion, Iloilo is a baseload power plant which was commercially operated last August 2016 and has contributed significantly in the reliability of power supply in the Visayas.
President Duterte, who was the Keynote Speaker in the event, also led the ceremonial switch-on of the power plant, together with Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, PCPC Chairman Dr. Walter Brown, PCPC President and CEO Roel Castro and Advisor to the Board Jacinto Ng, Jr.
Castro in his welcome message, highlighted that the new plant is a combination of technology from Europe and the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor from China.
“We are among the few to have used this technology with reheat and as a consequence, we are one of the most fuel efficient plants operating and at the same time compliant with the environmental criteria set by both national and international agencies,“ Castro said.
“As a result of using the latest and most efficient technologies, we have one of the lowest tariffs in this same class of plants that the consumers are able to enjoy,” he added.
The power project generated a total investment of about $280 million, one of the biggest investments in Iloilo province. The construction and commissioning of the power plant including the transmission facilities were all completed within 37 months.
One of the highlights of the event is the donation of PCPC to support President Duterte’s program against drugs, which was announced by PCPC Chairman Walter Brown.
Dr. Brown also stressed in his message that the power plant project would not be possible without the full cooperation of its shareholders and partners as well as local and national government officials who on the whole were supportive of the project.
Aside from the plant’s contribution in increasing the available power generation capacity in the Visayas, the community and local government unit hosting the power plant likewise benefitted in the various CSR projects that PCPC poured in for the development of the people and communities and in protecting the environment. The company invested more than PhP150 million, even before the company sold its first kilowatt, for projects like concrete roads, scholarships, livelihood projects, capability building of the local leaders and residents, disaster preparedness, and more importantly massive reforestation and mangrove development. On top of this, they are also beneficiaries of different projects under the Department of Energy’s ER 1-94, particularly electrification projects, development and livelihood projects and reforestation, watershed management and environment enhancement, as part of the benefits to host communities.
Secretary Cusi of DOE believes that this power plant will help speed up economic activities in this side of the country.
“The inauguration of this 135-MW Concepcion power plant is a crucial energy infrastructure project to help sustain the economic growth in the Visayas and we expect to have a livelier business environment in the region,” he said.
While the power plant is fueled by imported coal, the company uses circulating fluidized-bed combustion which is the latest in clean coal technology. It is also equipped with an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), a filtration device that removes over 99% of ash particles.
At present, the power plant is delivering power generation supply to its customers in Panay, Negros and the rest of Visayas.
PCPC is a joint venture between Palm Thermal Consolidated Holdings Corporation (PTCHC), a subsidiary of A Brown Co. Inc. (ABCI), and Jin Navitas Resource Inc. (JNRI).