Guv welcomes coal-fired power plant

ILOILO Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. welcomed the entry of the 2x135-megawatt coal-fired power plant of the Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC) in Concepcion town set to supply power to Iloilo Province and the entire Western Visayas.

The P13.5-billion project, jointly undertaken by AC Energy Corp. of the Ayala Corporation, A. Brown Company Inc. and Jin Navitas Resources Inc., was officially launched on Tuesday at the Sitio Puntales, Barangya Nipa, Concepcion.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by PCPC executives led by chairman Walter Brown and president Roel Castro, local government officials of Concepcion led by Mayor Milliard Villanueva and other stakeholders.

Defensor said the project would ensure a stable power supply for Iloilo and the entire Western Visayas in the coming years which is aptly needed with the anticipated economic developments in this part of the country.

Castro said the power plant will be using the circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFCB) technology and can be considered as the most advanced and most fuel-efficient plant in the Visayas.

PCPC’s power capacity is good for 2x135 megawatt (MW) and the target commercial dispatch for the first unit of 135MW is set on the last quarter of 2015.

Castro said the plant will be using the latest Alstom Technology (Europe) for its steam turbine and generator while a leading Canadian-American company SNC Lavalin was appointed as the project’s owner’s engineer and project manager.

On the other hand, the project’s preferred engineering, procurement and construction contractor is NLSC, the consortium of First Northeast Electric Power Engineering Corp. of China, Liaoning Electric Power Survey & Design Institute and Shenyang Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd.
Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada, who graced the event, cited the benefits of the Concepcion power plant to the people of the Visayas who will experience not only a more stable power supply but also a more environment-friendly source of power.

The business sector has bright expectations with the development saying it can help the region achieve its economic growth and targets with the assurance of a reliable power supply at a competitive rate. (ECGarcia/ Capitol News)