Alsons keen on starting 3 power projects in Mindanao by year-end

MANILA, Philippines - Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. (ACR), a publicly-listed power holding company of the Alcantara Group, is aiming to start the construction of three major power plants in Mindanao before year end.

The three projects are the second 105-megawatt (MW) section of the 210-MW Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) coal-fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani; the 15-MW Siguil River run-of-river hydroelectric plant also in Maasim, Sarangani; and the 105-MW San Ramon Power Inc. (SRPI) coal-fired power plant in Talisayan, Zamboanga City.  

Section 2 of the SEC plant is expected to begin commercially operating in 2018.

“For SEC 2, we expect to award the engineering procurement and construction contract within the next few days. And we expect the construction within the year,” Alsons executive vice president and COO Tirso Santillan said.

Its first unit started operating last April, providing 105 MW of additional baseload power to more than three million residents in Sarangani province, General Santos City and other key areas in Mindanao.

When the plant reaches its full 210-MW capacity in 2018, SEC will be supplying power to over six million people in key areas in Mindanao.

Alsons is pouring in $570 million in the SEC power plant, the single largest investment in Sarangani province and the entire Region 12.

Meanwhile, the 15-MW Siguil run-of-river power plant will be Alson’s first renewable energy venture, which is expected to start running in 2018.

Aside from the Siguil project, the company is eyeing to develop other run-of-river hydropower projects with a total potential capacity of 185 MW in Mindanao and Negros Occidental.

Alsons also said the 105-MW SRPI plant is expected to begin operating in 2019 to provide baseload power to Zamboanga City and other key areas in Mindanao.

Apart from the SEC 1 plant, the company operates three diesel power facilities: the 103-MW Mapalad Power Corp. diesel 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.

By 2019, all Alsons-affiliated power facilities will have around 588 MW of generating capacity, supplying approximately 25 percent of Mindanao’s projected peak power demand that year.