GOVERNOR Alfredo Marañon Jr. is eyeing more energy sources like coal-fired power plant for Negros Occidental to ensure power stability and cover its increasing demands.
Marañon made the statement amid the three-day blackout in Victorias City and the towns of Manapla and EB Magalona due to a defective 20MVA transformer in one of the power sub-stations of the VMC Rural Electric Service Cooperative (VRESCO).
The blackout has affected at least 20,000 consumers and has caused about P1.2 million in losses a day to the electric cooperative, according to VRESCO general manager Engr. Arturo Cabrera.
Marañon said one of the reasons why huge power plant projects could not be realized in the province is due to the mounting protests by some environmentalist groups.
He cited the protests are from environmentalist groups against a proposed coal-fired power plant in Cadiz City. He asked the groups what they have done to address the impending lack of power supply in the province by year 2015.
The governor reiterated that a power source will assure a stable supply of power in the province.
“And when the province has a stable power supply, more businesses and investments will come in,” he said.
He also said that the price of electricity in Negros Occidental is high because of the transmission costs that the consumers are paying, since most of the power supply of the province comes from plants in Panay.
Taiwan, Japan and the Unites States, which have even stricter environment safety rules than the Philippines, have coal-fired power plants, he pointed out.
There are also coal-fired power plants operating in Iloilo and Cebu without any problems, Marañon added. (TDE)