Alsons Power lights up Mindanao
Alsons Power Group, the country’s first and most experienced independent power producer in Mindanao, continues to light up the region with its power projects. Just recently, it celebrated a twin milestone with the kick-off event that marked the start of civil works for the second 105-megawatt section of its 210-megawatt Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) baseload plant in Maasim, Sarangani province, and the ceremonial switch-on for the first section that began operating in April last year, which serves three million people.
Leading the double event were Alsons Consolidated Resources and SEC chairman Tommy Alcantara with his brother Nick. No less than President Rodrigo Duterte graced the event. Energy Secretary Al Cusi, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Sarangani Gov. Steve Solon, Sarangani Rep. Rogelio Pacquiao, Korean Ambassador Kim Jae-Shin and Maasim Mayor Jojo Lopez were also in attendance. Executives from Daelim Industrial Co., JGC Corp., Toyota Tsusho Corp. and Fuji Electric also flew in just for the occasion.
Pegged at $570 million, the SEC plant is the single biggest power investment in Sarangani and the whole Region 12, which underscores the Alcantara family’s unwavering commitment to support the economic growth of Mindanao by providing a reliable and stable source of power through its subsidiaries.
In his remarks, President Duterte noted that Mindanao has had a shortfall of energy for so many years and this has hampered the economic growth in the region, resulting in reduced incomes if not poverty. “We cannot develop until we have power,” the President said, adding that the government has to strike a balance between clean energy and power.
The SEC plant utilizes clean coal technology with the use of a fluidized bed boiler and low-sulfur coal from Indonesia. Once the second phase is completed, it will serve another three million people in several provinces and key cities in Mindanao.
