Conal Holdings to build coal-fired power plant

A FIRM that is into the business of power generation is set to invest at least P9 billion for the establishment of a coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City.

Zambofreeport deputy administrator for planning and operations Meinrad Yanga said the construction of the coal-fired power plant with an initial capacity of 100 megawatts will start in August.

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He said the investor, which will construct the coal-fired power plant in a 60-hectare area inside Zambofreeport, is the Conrado Alcantara and Sons (Conal) Holdings that had been into the business of power generation.

Yanga said that they are finalizing the contract for the construction of the power plant citing the first phase of the project is for a 100-megawatt capacity.

He said officials of the Conal Holdings have assured that the construction of the coal-fired power plant will be fast tracked to put it in operations within a period of four years though it takes five years to build the power plant.

He said that Conal Holdings is set to put up another coal-fired power plant, also inside the Zambofreeport, with a capacity of 200 megawatts once the 100-megawatt plant is already operational.

Once the power plants will be in place and operational, it can support the power needs not only of the Zambofreeport locators but of the electric consumers as well of the entire Zamboanga City, Yanga said.

Zambofreeport administrator Georgina Yu said there are 33 locators from various industries that operating at present inside the Zambofreeport.

Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) general manager Reinerio Ramos said the present peak load demand of the city is 85 megawatts.

Ramos said that the peak load demand will be more than 100 megawatts "by the time the Conal Holdings completes the construction of the coal-fired power plants."

"Zamboanga City will still have available power and reserve by that time," Ramos said citing there will be two sources of power for this city first are the coal-fired power plants of Conal Holdings and second is the hydro power plants in Lanao province.

Yanga meanwhile said the Conal Holdings will also construct a port at the Zambofreeport three-kilometer seafront. "They need a port to ship in the coal they need in the operations of the power plant."

He added said the other locators of the Zambofreeport can also use the port in shipping their products.

The construction of the plants and port will also generate employment in Zamboanga City, Yanga said. (Bong Garcia)