Alson’s Sarangani plant nears completion

MANILA, Philippines - By October of next year, Mindanaoans will get to experience the significant initial steps that the private sector, specifically the Alsons Power Group, is taking to alleviate the rampant and long blackouts that have burdened the region since 2010.  

With most of the major equipment for its first phase already on site, Alsons Power’s Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) will soon commence final installation work of critical segments such as the plant’s steam turbine generator, main control building, permanent jetty, smoke stack, transformer, and coal storage.

The Alsons Consolidated Resources (ACR) board of directors recently held its first-ever board meeting in Sarangani and General Santos and subsequently paid a visit to the SEC plant to get a firsthand impression of the major milestones achieved since construction of the plant started early last year.

SEC vice president for project implementation Nicandro R. Fucoy facilitated the tour. The $570-million power facility is currently the single largest investment in Region 12 and is the first to locate inside the Kamanga Agro-Industrial Economic.

The SEC power project currently has close to 2,000 employees working on site, around 80 percent of whom are residents of the host community of Maasim, Sarangani.

These local workers were trained through the plant’s award-winning Maasim Technical Competence Center (MTCC).

SEC in partnership with the regional Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) equips MTCC trainees with skills and in welding and fabrication, maintenance and plumbing and electrical installation.