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Saturday, February 21, 2004
Japanese, Korean firms eyeing dev't of 2 hydropower projects
TWO foreign power producers are eyeing the development of two hydroelectric projects in Panay Island, an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said.
Asst. Sec. Mario Marasigan said Japanese and Korean firms are now looking into developing areas in Aklan and Antique, respectively, identified as having high potentials for hydropower.
Resource assessment shows Timbaban in Madalag, Aklan has potential of 29MW while Villa Siga in Patnongon, Antique, 32MW.
All in all, Panay has a hydroelectric potential of about 70MW.
Western Japan Energy Consultants Inc. (Wesjec) has been tapped to develop Timbaban's hydroelectric resources while Korean firm Fusion International, Villa Siga's.
Data on the project's time frame and cost, however, were not readily available.
Marasigan said the government continues to look for private investors to develop renewable energy projects as part of the efforts to increase the renewable energy component in the country's energy mix.
He earlier admitted, however, that high cost of development is a barrier to development of renewable energy projects.
Because of high investment cost, renewable or "clean" energy would be priced about five centavos more than coal or fossil-generated power.
If the consumers are not ready to shell out, five centavos more, he said, the investors will not come in.
Aside from hydro, Panay also has wind power potential of 428MW; biomass, 44MW and solar, 4.7 to 5.4kWh/m2 a day.
Wind tower
Yesterday, the World Wildlife Foundation-Philippines and First Philippine Energy Corp. (FPEC), a subsidiary of First Generation Holdings Corp., set up a 40-meter state-of-the-art wind monitoring station in Barangay Guia, Pandan.
Ricardo Yatco, FPEC president and chief operations officer, said their company is committed to developing renewable energy as part of its energy portfolio in the Philippines.
"There's been very little data on renewable energy and projects such as this wind monitoring station can validate that we do have vast resources of renewable energy, and that it can be harnessed to move our economy," Yatco said.
Moreover, WWF-Philippines president Lory Tan said renewable energy is the obvious option.
"Clean energy makes sense - economic sense, environmental sense and political sense," he said. NLG
(February 20, 2004 issue)
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