Coal-fired power plant in Davao may operate sooner than scheduled

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - The 90 percent complete 300-megawatt seaside private coal-fired power plant in Davao del Sur might start operating sooner than expected, radio reports on Wednesday said.

The business communities in Central Mindanao and nearby provinces are optimistic the facility, owned by the Therma South, Inc. (TSI) of the Aboitiz Power, will ease the power woes besetting many areas in Mindanao.

The president of TSI, Benjamin Cariaso Jr., said the power plant, located at the border of Davao City and Davao del Sur, is now about 90 percent complete.

Engineers are now working on the connectivity of the power plant to the facilities of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), he said.

Cariaso said they will soon initiate necessary tests needed to determine the functionality of the power plant.

The biggest bulk of power the NGCP supplies to consumers in Mindanao comes from the state-run hydro-electric plants in Lanao del Sur, propelled by the downstream flow of the Agus River, which springs from the highland Lake Lanao in the predominantly Maranaw province.

The Energy Regulatory Commission already approved 13 of 22 power supply contracts between the TSI and power utility cooperatives in Mindanao.

North Cotabato’s Muslim, Christian and lumad communities were elated with TSI’s announcement about its 300 MW coal-fired plant.

The Cotabato Electric Cooperative, whose service area covers 17 North Cotabato towns and the provincial capital Kidapawan City, is one of the 22 power utilities that already forged supply contracts with the TSI even before its power plant could operate.