Businessmen push for another power plant

CEBU, Philippines - Following the announcement of the Department of Energy that power supply in Cebu is stable up to 2015, businessmen are calling the energy sector to act fast and put up another power plant.

Consul Samuel Chioson, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there is a need to rush considering the length of time it takes to establish a power plant.

Chioson, in a recent 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza, shared the earlier statement of DOE-Visayas field officer Antonio Labios that it will take three to five years to put up another power plant and Cebu should be ready in 2015 with more power supply.

Current power supply in Cebu comes from the Korea Electric Power Co. in Naga City which provides 200 megawatts; the three 82-megawatt power plants of the Cebu Energy Development Corp. in Toledo City which supply 246 megawatts and one in Iloilo supplying 164 megawatts.

The power situation was one of the topics discussed during Cebu Business Month initiated by CCCI annually.

CBM 2011 chairman Virgilio Espeleta said that one of their initiatives is embarking on bringing together all mayors to sustainable energy during the conference.

Espeleta stressed that there are a lot of other sources of energy that are not being utilized because of dependence on conventional sources.

Earlier, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos were talking on sharing knowledge about renewable energy using wind and solar sources.

The CCCI is calling on the public to reduce energy consumption for efficient use.

Kepco’s sister-company, Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd. (Kospo) is now eyeing to put another coal-fired power plant in Cebu.

Representatives of Kospo already met Garcia to present their plan to put up another 400-megawatt coal-fired power plant. — (FREEMAN)