Alsons switches on 210-MW Mindanao coal-powered plant

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte inaugurated Friday the second unit of Alsons Power’s 210 megawatt (MW) Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) baseload coal-fired power plant in Mindanao.

Alsons Power also launched the construction of the 14.5-MW Siguil River hydroelectric power plant also in the same province.

Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. (ACR) chairman and president Tomas Alcantara said the two projects “are in line with the President’s vision of a Mindanao that enjoys the benefits of power security and the preservation of the environment by employing both traditional thermal baseload power and renewable energy.”

The $570-million SEC plant, which is the single largest power investment in Sarangani province and the entire Region 12, delivers 210 MW of power to over six million people in 10 provinces and 12 key cities in Mindanao including Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan, Butuan, Digos, Dipolog, and Pagadian.

SEC is majority owned by Alsons Thermal Energy Corp. – a partnership between ACR and Pangilinan-led Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) and Japan’s Toyota Tsusho Corp.

The SEC baseload plant began operating its first unit in 2016 and commenced commercial operations for its second unit in October of this year.

Meanwhile, the P4.5-billion Siguil hydro plant, Alsons Power’s initial entry into renewable energy, is expected to begin commercial operations in 2022 and will provide power to Sarangani province, General Santos City and key municipalities of South Cotabato.

Siguil Hydro will be the first of eight run-of-river hydro power facilities that the group plans to develop in Zamboanga del Norte, other areas in Mindanao, and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas.

“The two power projects that we are showcasing this afternoon represent our own modest contribution in support of the President’s commitment to provide the needed infrastructure for the economic growth and sustainable development of Mindanao and the rest the country,” Alcantara said.

Alsons Power, Mindanao’s first and most experienced independent power producer, currently operates four power facilities in Mindanao with a total generating capacity of 468 MW serving key cities such as Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, General Santos and Zamboanga.  

Another project in Alson Power’s pipeline is the 105-MW San Ramon Power Inc. (SRPI) baseload coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City, which is slated to begin operations in 2023.

Meanwhile, its pipeline of renewable energy projects has a total hydro capacity potential of more than 145 MW in Negros Occidental, Sarangani, Davao Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, the two Agusan Provinces, and Surigao del Sur.