INVESTMENTS in renewable or clean energy plants are costly, but the operational costs of such plants are cheaper than conventional ones, an energy official said.
Engineer Jun Baclay of the Department of Energy (DOE) made the comment during a visit to the first centralized solar power plant in the Philippines on Pangan-an Island in Lapu-Lapu City.
Renewable energy is a critical component of the government’s plan to provide enough electricity to the country in the coming years.
In its website, DOE said one of the energy sector’s objectives is to pursue cleaner and more efficient energy utilization and to adopt clean technologies.
Investments in these cleaner plants are funded by the private sector.
For example, the Ambuklao Hydro Electric Plant is a joint project of SN Power of Norway and Aboitiz Equity Ventures. It has a budget of $280.4 million for its rehabilitation costs. It is expected to produce 105 megawatts (mw) of electricity upon completion in December.
The first commercial capacity on-grid wind turbine farm in Southeast Asia was realized through the efforts of Philippine and Danish businessmen and engineers and the
Danish International Development Agency. The Northwind Farm in Bangui Bay, Ilocos Norte has an investment of $54 million.
“Only four people are mainly manning the 20 wind turbines located in a nine-kilometer strip of shore in Bangui Bay.
Each turbine is rated to produce 1.65 mw,” said operations manager Dino Tiatco of Northwind Farm.
On Pangan-an Island where the solar power plant providing energy to 236 households is located, its barangay cooperative is operating the plant, while Baclay visits at least once a month.
The plant is a joint project of the Philippines and Belgium, with an investment of P22 billion. Its battery alone costs P6 million.
The Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC) launched last month the first 82-mw unit of its 246-mw clean coal plant located in Toledo City. With the completion of the two remaining units later this year, it is expected that there will be enough electricity for the province by the end of the year.
The investment of $450 million in the three units is the “single largest power plant investment in Cebu,” CEDC said earlier in a statement.
“The project uses clean coal through the Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology which reduces pollutants to negligible levels. There is another 50-mw clean coal plant located in Mabalacat, Pampanga,” said Mae Catherine Melchor of CEDC.
CEDC is a consortium of Global Business Power Corp., Formosa Heavy Industries and Abovant Holdings, a joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and Vivant Corp.
Based on current projections of the DOE, renewable energy will provide up to 40 percent of the country’s primary energy requirements over the 10-year period beginning in 2003.
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