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REDONDO
Peninsula Energy Inc. will start construction of a
$420-million coal-fired power plant in the Subic Bay
Freeport in anticipation of new locators in the zone
that would need more power.
Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza
disclosed another power-generation company, the Subic
Enerzone Corp., is investing P210 million to install
additional power systems in the free port, as well as
rehabilitate the existing ones.
“Investors worldwide are looking for investment sites
with stable but cheap power supply, along with
accessibility and security, investment perks and skilled
manpower,” said Arreza.
“These
power projects are crucial to the growth of the Subic
Freeport and the local economy because they will help
reduce the cost of electricity in Subic, as well as
address a projected increase in power demand,” he added.
Arreza
disclosed that the proposed 300-megawatt coal plant will
be built near the Hanjin shipyard and is also designed
to partly address the expected surge in electricity
demand in
Luzon.
The
project is a joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and
Taiwan Cogeneration Corp. It is scheduled for completion
in 2011, with another 300-megawatt facility set to
follow three years later.
Subic
Enerzone Corp. activity is specifically to develop new
substations, install new field and substation lines,
improve switchyards, and install additional circuit
breakers and power transformers.
Enerzone
vice president and general manager Dante Pollescas said
the firm has continuously improved since it started
operating in 2003. Pollescas said the firm’s system loss
has progressively fallen to the current 4 percent.
As part
of Enerzone’s distribution- management services
agreement with the SBMA, the firm had also upgraded
three power substations and other facilities in the
Subic Freeport this year.
These
include a 25-MVA substation at
Subic’s Cubi Point area, which was reenergized in October; a
27.5-MVA substation at Maritan Hill, also completed in
October, to provide reliable electric supply to
companies in the nearby
Subic
Techno Park, one of the biggest industrial areas in the
Subic Freeport; and another substation at Leyte Wharf.
According to Enerzone, consumption in its
Subic franchise area has been increasing over the past few years,
with a total of 17.4 million kilowatt-hours consumed
last month. |
