Alsons Power’s operations normal despite martial law: chairman

Chairman and president of Alsons Power, Tomas Alcantara, has assured stakeholders that the declaration of martial law in Mindanao has not in any way affected their operations. (PNA photo)

MANILA—Chairman and president of Alsons Power, Tomas Alcantara, has assured stakeholders that the declaration of martial law in Mindanao has not in any way affected their operations.

”Our four power facilities in Mindanao continue to operate as scheduled. All of our projects under development, such as the ongoing construction of the second 105-megawatt (MW) section of our Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) baseload plant in Maasim, Sarangani, are proceeding according to schedule and are on-track to completion,” Alcantara (in photo) said in a news release issued Thursday.

”We respect and fully support the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to institute all legal measures allowed within the framework of the Constitution in order to ensure the safety and security of the island.”

He noted than in comparison, the Zamboanga siege in 2013 was worse for Alsons Power than the present situation in Marawi because the areas of conflict at that time were close to their assets.

He nonetheless hoped that the situation in Marawi would normalize soon, and expressed their steadfast commitment to the development of Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines.

Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province is the site of an ongoing battle between government forces and the Maute terror group, which has led President Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, during its annual stockholders meeting on Thursday, Alsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR) reported that all of its power projects being developed in the island are on track.

These include section 2 of the 210-MW SEC baseload coal-fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani, projected to start commercial operations in the first half of 2019.

The company began construction of the second 105-MW section last January. Upon its completion, SEC Section 2 will provide baseload power to 3 million residents of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City, and other key areas of Mindanao.

The first 105-MW section of the SEC plant began operating in April last year, providing much-needed baseload power to more than 3 million people residing in the provinces of Sarangani, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Norte, and Agusan del Sur; the cities of General Santos, Iligan, Butuan; and other major population centers of Mindanao.

At a cost of nearly USD600 million, the SEC power plant is the single largest investment in Sarangani and the entire Soccsksargen region.

Within the year, ACR expects to begin construction of the 15-MW Siguil River run-of-river hydroelectric plant in Maasim, Sarangani and the 105-MW San Ramon Power, Inc. (SRPI) baseload coal-fired power plant in Talisayan, Zamboanga City.

The 15-MW Siguil power plant, ACR’s first renewable energy venture, is expected to be up and running in 2020. Other run-of-river hydropower projects located in key areas in Mindanao and Negros Occidental with a total potential capacity of 185 MW are also in the pipeline.

The 105-MW SRPI plant is projected to begin operating in 2021 to provide baseload power to Zamboanga City and other key areas in Mindanao. ACR likewise announced that it would soon undertake a solar power project in the General Santos-Sarangani area.

ACR also operates three diesel power facilities: the 103-MW Mapalad Power Corp. plant in Iligan City; the 55-MW Southern Philippines Power Corp. facility in Alabel, Sarangani; and the 100-MW power plant of the Western Mindanao Power Corp. in Zamboanga City.

ACR-affiliated power facilities are expected to have a total generating capacity of 588 MW by the end of 2021, which could fill in more than 25 percent of Mindanao’s projected peak power demand for that year.