Napocor, US firm eye biomass facility for off-grid areas

MANILA, Philippines - US-based Clenergen Corp. and state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) are planning to put up a biomass facility to support the off-grid operations of Napocor’s Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG).

In a joint announcement, Napocor president Froilan A. Tampinco and Clenergen CEO Mark LM Quinn said they have agreed to pursue feasibility studies for Kabugao, Kalinga; Lubuagan, Apayao; Concepcion, Romblon; Corcuera, Romblon and Banton, Romblon under the first part of the program.

Tampinco said these areas have the best potential for developing competitive alternative and renewable source of electricity.

Clenergen a publicly-held American company, intends to generate over 500 megawatts of sustainable renewable electricity over the next five years from the use of cultivated feedstock and agricultural waste as source of biomass for gasification process.

Napocor, on the other hand, is the Philippine government’s mandated agency to develop off-grid small island power systems using non-conventional electricity systems.

“Clenergen will dedicate itself to install Distributed Environmental Power Systems or DEPS in the Philippines,” Quinn said. “These range in size from 0.5 to two MW biomass-based power plants in SPUG areas where there exist limited infrastructure, power shortages and sustainable areas to cultivate dedicated feedstock.”

“We see the Philippines as an excellent platform to showcase and demonstrate biomass technologies to assure sustainable electricity for the Asia Pacific basin, one of the most vulnerable regions in climate change conditions,” he added.