Power firm vows full supply of electricity

A major player in the power industry in Mindanao is committed to supplying up to 25 percent of the island’s electricity as it goes full blast in the construction of power projects that could produce up to 463 megawatts.

In a statement, Joseph C. Nocos, Alsons Power Group vice president for project development, also gave assurances to the Zamboanga City council in a special session last week that Alsons would “exert all efforts” to make sure that by 2016, the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc. (Zamcelco) “will have access to base load capacity generated by Alsons, as agreed upon in our power sales agreement.”

“Our commitment to the people and the city of Zamboanga remains steadfast,” Nocos told the city council, according to the statement.

Alsons is the developer of the 105-megawatt San Ramon Power Inc. coal-fired plant in Talisayan, Zamboanga City, and also controls and operates the 100-MW Western Mindanao Power Corp. diesel plant in Sangali, Zamboanga City.

According to Nocos, Alsons would be generating more than one-fourth of the projected peak demand for power in Mindanao of 1,829 MW by 2016.

Militants continued to protest an announced increase in power rates in Metro Manila by as much as P4.

Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate accused the Department of Energy (DOE) of turning a blind eye to what he said was a cartel of power suppliers that controls the supply of electricity.

Zarate, in a statement of Bayan Muna, said that instead of siding with consumers, the DOE had chosen to condone the power suppliers.

“Even if there are already indications that there is an apparent cartel in the electric power sector, no serious effort has been made by the DOE to break it,” said Zarate. With a report by Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao