British firm to build P5-billion power plants

MANILA, Philippines - British power firm Bronzeoak Ltd. will build a total of 30 megawatt (MW) ethanol-based power plants in Bukidnon and Tarlac.

Don Dia, Bronzeoak Philippines treasurer, told reporters that they expect to spend some $100 million or approximately P4.5 billion to P5 billion for the projects.

Dia said they would construct a15 MW power plant in Kibawe, South Bukidnon and another 15 MW in Capas, Tarlac.

He said they expect to start the Capas project by the middle of next year. “We will have our groundbreaking middle of 2010,” he added.

The co-generation power facilities will be integrated to a 40 million-liter ethanol processing plant.

Dia said they expect Bronzeoak to produce 110 million liters annually beyond 2011. The company also started commercial operations of its San Carlos Bioenergy ethanol processing plant which supplies ethanol to Petron Corp., the country’s largest oil refiner.

San Carlos also has an eight-MW co-generation power plant component. Of this, four to five MW is being exported to the grid and the remaining capacity is being utilized for its own requirement.

Earlier, Bronzeoak Philippines, a joint venture between Bronzeoak Ltd. of UK and Zabaleta & Co. may tap the Development Bank of the Philippines to fund its ethanol projects, a top company executive said.

Jose Maria Zabaleta Jr., Bronzeoak managing director, on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ meeting called by the Department of Energy (DOE) to shed the light on the ethanol blending issues, said they are also scouting for partners for the development of three potential sites for their projects.  

The company was established in 2003 for the purpose of developing biomass renewable energy projects in the Philippines .  

Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol is a type of alternative fuel being groomed as a substitute for traditional, oil-based fuels like gasoline and diesel.  

Bronzeoak also holds a stake in San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. which operates as an ethanol distillery and power cogeneration plant located in Negros Occidental.  

The plant is now operational and is capable of producing 30 million liters of ethanol annually and approximately eight megawatts of power. It sells its ethanol production to Petron Corp., the country’s biggest oil refiner.  

Under the Biofuels Act of 2006, all gasoline sold in the country have to be blended with five percent of indigenously sourced ethanol.  

This year, the mandate translates into 220 million liters of ethanol.