Before year ends: Negros Occidental tells EDC to produce more power

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Negros Occidental Provincial Board has given the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) until the end of 2011 to produce at least 20 megawatts of power, otherwise the firm's exploration activities will be stopped.

PB Member Emilio Yulo III, chairman of the committee on environment, said if the EDC fails to produce the required power before the year ends, it would mean that the company's Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant (NNGPP) is a failure.

Should this happen, the Negros Occidental government will stop EDC from its exploration activities in the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, said Yulo.

A MOA between the provincial government and EDC provides that the latter shall produce 49 MW of power, but Yulo the firm has so far produced only at least 9 MW, he said.

EDC has also temporarily shut down its operations in November last year, and plans to shut down again this July until December, for technical studies on how to make its geothermal resources viable.