Negros Occidental, home to biomass, solar power plants

CEBU, Philippines - Negros Occidental province is now set to be the site of two of the four biomass power plants in the country and of the first commercial solar farm, according to PIA-6 reports.

Energy Assistant Secretary Daniel Ariosa Sr. said these plants are welcome developments in the energy sector since this will stabilize the energy requirement in the Visayas area, with the expected boom in industries and economic activities in areas like Bacolod, Iloilo and Cebu.

A group of 36 foreign investors from Zurich, London, Prague and Germany, led by ThomasLloyd Group Chairman Michael Sieg, attended the launchings of the North Negros Biomass Power Plant in San Carlos City and the South Negros Biomass Power Plant in La Carlota City.

The one in San Carlos City is a 19.9 megaWatt biomass-fired power plant, which will began construction early 2014 and will be operational in early 2015, is expected to deliver 140 million kilowatt hours to the grid.

Aside from this plant, San Carlos City has been eyed as an ideal location for the solar farm of the San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. due to the place's right coordinates for maximum solar radiation, while being less prone to cloud cover and enjoying more sunshine hours than the rest of the province.

The one in La Carlota City has a P4.7 billion investment for the building of a thermal plant and a supply chain system that is expected to supply the grid with 175 million kilowatt hours per year.

"This will give additional income to farmers since their agricultural wastes will be used and convert into energy through the biomass power plants," Ariosa added. — From the wires