Friday, March 20, 2015

Mindanao Coops mulls bidding for Agus Pulangi



DAVAO CITY- Cooperatives are eyeing to participate in the privatization of the Agus-Pulangi Hydro Power Plant.

One of the moves is the formation of 1 Mindanao Energy Cooperative (1 MIECOOP) the group envisioned to make a run for the management and operation of the Agus Pulangi plant.

Datu Pendatun Misimban CDA (Cooperative Development Authority) Administrator for Mindanao says it’s about time the people will have the say on running and managing the power plant.

This is a contribution of the coop sector in cooperation with the government to solve the power crisis. Misimban said.

He added that based on regional power summits attended by cooperative leaders, the attendees were very supportive of the move.

The idea broached to them by the National Association of Electric Consumers for Reform (NASECORE) is steadily gaining ground among the many cooperatives in Mindanao.

Misimban said it about time that Mindanao will benefit from the power plant, not just a few businessmen from Luzon or Visayas. And that the proposed power coop will look not just look at the profits to be earned but also treat the running of the plant as a form of public service.

Currently there are 3-million Mindanaoans who are cooperative members and have the capability to make a bid for the power plant.

Based on benchmarks a new hydro-power plant costs around $1-million per megawatt, Agus-Pulangi has a capacity of 982 megawatts, the plant could be estimated to cost $1-billion.

The plant is under the PSALM (Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation) a government owned and controlled corporation. There are plans under the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) to sell the power plant.

The make this into a reality, the coops would want to ask for amendments to the EPIRA which would exempt the Agus-Pulangi from the sale which would pave the way for the cooperative to make a bid for the plant.

Congressman Reynaldo Umali, chairman House Committee on Energy says the Congress will be supporting the move of the cooperatives since it involves the people. “We are just your representatives, utusan nyo lang po kami. Sabi po ni PNOY kayo ang boss naming.” (just order us, as what President PNOY said you are our boss).

Elma Oguis, regional director of the Cooperative Development Authority-XI said that the regional power summit held in Davao City today (March 20) brings the best and the largest cooperatives in the region for the proposed initiative. (PIA/RG Alama)

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