GOVERNOR Gwendolyn Garcia has started talks with possible investors for the water and waste-to-energy (WTE) projects of the Cebu Provincial Government.
The governor met with Farchad Kaviani, the managing director of Suez Group for Southeast Asia, a Paris, France-based provider of water and waste management solutions, at the Capitol on Monday, March 4, 2024.
Along with him were delegates from Infrastructure Asia, a project facilitation office that enables good-fit solutions from companies and institutions based in Singapore in addressable infrastructure needs in Asia.
The WTE project, in particular, has been planned for a while, and Capitol has been trying to find a reliable partner to help hasten its completion.
Additionally, Capitol has started a multibillion-dollar bulk water infrastructure project in at least 25 local government units across the province.
The province is now searching for a private partner to oversee these large-scale water projects in the future.
The discussion on Monday appeared to be a lead-up to another potentially historic public-private collaboration between Capitol and these private companies.
During the meeting, the governor assured the prospective investors that she meant business when dealing with them, by saying "You can talk business with this government."
In an effort to collaborate with the Provincial Government, the Suez Group showcased its business models and expertise during the discussion.
The Capitol has previously worked on projects with the private sector, as shown by the joint ventures it currently has with businesses like Filinvest Land, which is building and running a four-tower BPO Complex at the Cebu IT Park, and Manila Water, which is treating and distributing 35 million liters of water per day from Carmen town to Metro Cebu areas.
In due course, the Capitol will also enter into a joint venture agreement with Acciona Energia, a Spanish company, to construct a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Daanbantayan town.
Following their discussion, Kaviani stated in an interview that he was pleased with the governor's eagerness to interact with investors and that they would submit their unsolicited proposals to the provincial government on the said projects. (TPT WITH PR)