Aboitiz Power seeks local approval for Davao exploration
Steam pipes at Mount Apo, Mindanao Philippines (source: flickr/ penmanila)
Francisco Rojas
2 Jul 2014
A spokesperson from Mindanao Affairs mentioned that passing all regulatory and administrative hurdles as soon as possible would greatly benefit the speed to which the plant can be put online, which at the moment is estimated in 5 years.
AboitizPower Corp. presented yesterday before the 17th Davao City Council its exploration project for geothermal resources, which will be undertaken by Mt. Apo Geothermal Inc., a subsidiary of the power company as reported by local news source, Sun Star of Davao.
Mr. Manuel Orig, first vice president for Mindanao Affairs, said one of the contract areas for the exploration is Davao City.
“We need the endorsement and support of the Davao City Council for us to be able to proceed in the exploration and, if successful, to construct the geothermal power plant,” Orig said.
His concerns stem from the time span that is needed to have the plant operational, which is expected to be around 5 years; two for drilling and three for the construction and the equipment of the plant. This process could be sped up significantly if administrative hurdles are approved hastily.and they get all the approval necessary from the local government units of Sta. Cruz, Davao City, and Digos City.
Councilor Louie John Bonguyan, committee chair for energy, said the Department of Energy (DOE) granted application of AboitizPower to explore potential geothermal resources in Mt. Talomo, Kapatagan areas last November 2013.
“In the event that the exploration is successful, the potential benefits that the people of Davao can derive from operations of geothermal power plant,” Bonguyan said during the privilege hour on Tuesday.
Mr. Orig said the public demands for the geothermal power plant “because it is safe to the environment and to the health of the people.” It said that the project is “aligned with Aboitiz Power’s right-mix strategy in its power generation business which pushes for maximization of renewable energy potential as long as it is available and affordable, while utilizing fossil-based power generation to ensure reliability.”
Aboitiz Power currently produces some 1,191 MW of renewable energy, making them one of the biggest renewable energy producers in the country
Source: Sun Star Davao Website
