Local News: 2 Coal Power plants Eyed in Cadiz
Two coal-fired power plants are being planned to be put up in Cadiz City, and its combined 170-megawatt (MW) output is expected to address the looming power shortage in Negros Occidental by 2015.
Cadiz Mayor Patrick Escalante said Pacific Energy Ventures Corporation is planning to put up a 100- MW coal-fired power plant in the 50-hectare area of the 500-hectare Cadiz Port Zone.
Earlier, PhilPower Corp., a conglomeration of Filipino and Chinese businessmen, also proposed to put up a 70-MW coal-fired power plant in the same port zone, which the City council had approved, he said.
Escalante said Pacific Energy Ventures officials are set to present their power project proposal before the members of the Cadiz City Council this week.
After that, Cadiz officials will consult with the Department of Energy about the possibility of having two coal-fired plants in the city, or a total of 170 MW.
The two firms are currently processing necessary permits from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), he said.
The investors promised to use only the cleanest coal technology.
PhilPower will bring in a power plant from Italy that has a very minimal smoke emission.
Escalante said that most of the countries in the world now prefer coal-fired power plants over other energy sources.
He said he is confident that the projects will push through, and at the soonest possible time, as they are being helped by Vice President Jejomar Binay.
He said the dredging of the port zone will take at least two months, the processing of necessary papers for three months, and the assembling of power plants for two years.
The Cadiz city government is authorized by the PRA to reclaim 50 hectares of the 500-hectare of Cadiz Port zone, which will become an Ecozone or Industrial Complex.
Escalante said the city government will have 40-percent share of the land since it is owned by the city.
Escalante also assured Negrenses that before signing any agreement with the interested investors, Cadiz officials will make sure Negros Occidental will be the priority for whatever power that would be generated from these proposed power plants.*
