Coal plant eyed for capacity expansion

DAVAO CITY - Aboitiz Power Corporation, whose subsidiary Therma South Inc. (TSI) is building the P25-billion coal power plant in the boundary of Davao City and Davao del Sur is planning to expand its capacity in the near future.

The 300-megawatt coal plant is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2015, as the plant is close to 70% completion.

According to Willy Rodolfo, Corporate Communications Manager of Aboitiz Power, the company is planning to expand it to 645 megawatts by 2017, this to meet the growing demand for power in the Mindanao Grid.

Projected power shortfall from 2013-2018 is estimated to be from 50 megawatt to 243 MW.

Rodolfo said the expansion of the plant is still being applied for. The company presented its expansion proposal before members of the Davao City Council last December 3.

Meanwhile Rodolfo said that the project timeline will not be affected by the construction site accident which claimed the life of a Chinese national working on the plant. The company has suspended the contractor to ensure that safety requirements are in place.

Rodolfo said that currently there are 2,500-3,000 workers in the site with about 70% of the workforce belonging to the nearby communities of Binugao and Inawayan.

He said the construction of the plant has contributed substantially to the host communities generating P800-million in local purchases and P1-billion in local contracts.

Aboitiz Power has also poured in P10-million to the local communities under its Corporate Social Responsibility program part of which is the construction eight classrooms thru    Aklat, Gabay, Aruga, tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP) Foundation. A two-classroom building costs around P1.2 million.

A 1,000 hectare carbon sink is also being readied in Marilog where indigenous peoples in the area are contracted to take care of the forest and fruit trees planted.   

Rodolfo said they are also intensifying the planting of mangrove trees around the coast as mangroves have the largest carbon sequestration properties among tree species. 

The baseload power plant using modern clean coal technology is one of the power investments by Aboitiz Power in the region.  One of its subsidiaries Hedcor built and operates the Sibulan and Tudaya hydropower plants in Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur. It has a capacity of 42.5 and 13.5 megawatts respectively. (PIA/RG Alama)