April 20, 2012
200-MW COAL PLANT IN CONCEPCION A GO
Construction to start next year
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE PROPOSED 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Concepcion, Iloilo is on track in time for calls to put up additional electricity sources in the light of the acute power shortage in Mindanao.
Iloilo Provincial Administrator Raul N. Banias said he met with top officials of Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) in Metro Manila to discuss development status of the proposed coal-fired power plant project.
A former mayor of Concepcion, Banias was instrumental in helping DM Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) Power Corp., the original proponent of the plant, in getting public acceptance for the power plant.
Although the Department of Environment and Natural Resources already issued and environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to the project sometime in 2007, DMCI did not initiate construction after failing to secure power supple agreements with distribution utilities in Western Visayas.
In November 2010, A. Brown Co., Inc. (ABCI), through subsidiaries Palm Thermal Consolidated Holdings Corp. and Panay Consolidated Holdings Corp., bought DMCI Power Corp.’s proposed coal-fired power plant in Concepcion. The new owners then formed subsidiary PCPC to spearhead the future construction and operation of the plant.
ABCI is the investment arm of businessman Walter Brown which is primarily engaged in the business of real estate development but has interests in power, property development and investments in other companies.
In February 2012, A. Brown announced that it has tapped BDO Capital and Investment Corp. to arrange the project debt financing requirements of the Concepcion coal plant.
ABCI said it plans to spend $200 million or roughly P8.5 billion for the project. Phase one of the power plant will be commissioned in the third quarter of 2015 while the second phase will go online in the fourth quarter of 2016.
With this development, the Department of Energy (DOE) has reclassified the Concepcion project from “indicative” to “committed”, which allows the proposed plant to be listed among the projects that will be constructed next year.
The energy department said the PCPC project will be finished in time for the projected power supply shortage in Visayas in 2015 “given the target commissioning of your project are by 3rd quarter of 2015 (phase I) and November 2016 (phase II).”
Banias said PCPC is set to have its financial closure next month aside from evaluating the Engineering Procurement and Conception (EPC) proposals of firms that bid for the construction of the project.
ABCI also tapped Canadian construction firm SNC-Lavalin Inc. for the plant’s engineering works.
SNC-Lavalin is global leader in engineering and construction in the fields of hydroelectric, nuclear and thermal power generation, power system studies, power sector reform, transmission and distribution projects.
SNC-Lavalin will provide detailed engineering that will include review and evaluation of EPC specifications, system’s design parameters and operating features and development of conceptual layouts, among others.
August 29, 2011
‘Brace for expansion of New Iloilo Airport’
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
PASSENGER traffic at the new Iloilo airport has been increasing that it might reach its full carrying capacity before 2015, an official of the Iloilo Business Club (IBC) said.
Ma. Lea Victoria Lara, IBC executive director, said air transport officials are bracing for the increase in passenger traffic of the new airport in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara towns.
Citing discussions with airport officials and feasibility study of the airport, Lara said the airport’s maximum carrying capacity is projected at 1.5 million by 2015.
But as of 2010, the Air Transportation Office already recorded 1 million arrivals at the airport. It is projected that the new airport will hit the 1.5 million mark this year.
Lara said increased number of airlines and the airport’s international standards could be factors in the surge in passenger traffic of the airport.
For example, ZestAir, a new player in the airline industry which offers low price fares, is occupying the check-in counter reserved for the airport management.
“At the check in counter, we can already see proof of increased traffic which also translates to more passengers going to Iloilo. The airport also has night landing equipment and can accommodate wide-bodied planes which have more carrying capacity,” Lara said.
Lara said the hike in airline passengers to Iloilo is an indication that the city and province are fast becoming havens for investors and visitors.
The IBC official said they hope that air transport agencies can address the growing traffic in the airport to maintain the convenience and comfort it presently offers.
The increase comes in the heels of plans to bring in chartered international flights to Iloilo, particularly tourists from China and Korea.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which manages airports in the country, allotted P43 million for the repair and improvement of the various facilities at the airport, which caters to 21 flights a day from Manila, Cebu and Davao as major destinations.
The New Iloilo airport was inaugurated on June 13, 2007 and opened to commercial flights on June 14, 2007. It was a replacement to the old Iloilo domestic airport in Mandurriao, Iloilo City which served Iloilo for more than 50 years.
The airport is the first to have modern, latest technology, belonging to Category F, as determined by the International Civil Aviation (ICA) Organization. This means that the airport is accredited as a qualifier for international standards.
The new airport project was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on January 25, 2004 in Cabatuan, the primary site of the airport. The airport project was funded with a P6.2-billion loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
Physical construction work on the airport started April 14, 2004 with the original expected deadline of completion in June 2007, although the expected deadline was moved to the first quarter of 2007.
Taisei-Shimizu Joint Venture was the contractor for the project, with Phil-Japan Airport Consultants, Inc. managing it and serving as the government’s consultant to the project.
The project was completed in March of 2007, ahead of schedule but overshot its budget. Its final cost jumped to around P9 billion.
November 23, 2010
Why Peco gets conservative with new power supply contract
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
RABID opposition by parties riling against additional power sources in Panay may have forced Panay Electric Co. (Peco) to be conservative in contracting power from the coal-fired power plant of Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC).
POWER FOR ILOILO CITY
Coal plant still on load test but now mitigating outages
By Tara Yap
LONG power outages may now be mitigated as the region’s first-coal fired power plant is currently generating 50% of its capacity after successfully synchronizing its system to the grid and Panay Electric Company, Iloilo City’s lone power distributor.
Jalaur project funding in nat’l budget
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
PART of the P17.5-billion “private public partnership” (PPP) fund can be used in the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMPP) of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
RE: COAL PLANT ODOR
Fr Celiz: Don’t be alarmed; Fr Cuadras: Shut it down
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
A CATHOLIC priest and member of the multi-partite monitoring team (MMT) assuaged fears caused by the odor that was again blamed on the coal-fired power plant at Brgy. Ingore, LaPaz, Iloilo City.
November 5, 2010
Mayor vows: It’s P250-M or bust for new City Hall
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Iloilo City government will not go over the P250-million budget set for the additional amenities of the new City Hall.
Coal plant test run slated
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE contractor of the 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant in LaPaz, Iloilo City will test run the facility’s first unit next week en route to its actual commercial operations next year.
October 27, 2010
NEDA: WV needs urban planners
THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) here said that Western Visayas is in need of urban planners.
Mabilog to meet Ilonggo communities in US trip
By Lydia C. Pendon
AFTER soliciting P25 million from an Ilonggo billionaire, Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog will fly to the United States to seek help from Ilonggo communities to fund key projects of his administration.
INJAP DONATES P25M FOR PUBLIC COLLEGE
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
ONE of the richest Ilonggos will bankroll the construction of the Iloilo City public college building to the tune of P25 million.
W V aims as RP’s forerunner in bio-fuel, renewable energy
BROWNOUTS may be minimized for the people of Western Visayas with the pouring in of renewable and bio-energy projects in the region.
October 22, 2010
HARMONIZE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Need for master plan for city, province cited
By Francis Allan L. Angelo and Lydia C. Pendon
THE city and province of Iloilo can harmonize growth and development through the crafting of a master plan for development.
PROMISE FULFILLED
P4-B floodway saved Iloilo City from floods, but…
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Jaro floodway of the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFCP) saved Iloilo City and its suburbs from three to four floods when heavy rains fell since last week.
Capitol forays into BPO, mulls big time projects
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Iloilo provincial government will venture in the burgeoning information technology (IT) and business processes outsourcing (BPO) sectors by developing sites for locators under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme proposed by the Aquino administration.
P800-M upgrade of Iloilo hospitals eyed
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Iloilo provincial government under Gov. Arthur D. Defensor Sr. is eyeing to spend more or less P800 million in the next three years to improve the facilities and services of 12 provincial and district hospitals.
October 18, 2010
NEA DISMISSES ILECO 3 BOARD
Contract with Artech grossly disadvantageous to coop
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) ordered the removal of six directors of the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco-3) for gross misconduct and gross neglect of duty relative to a questionable power supply agreement with an independent power producer (IPP). Read the rest of this entry »
Directors may face criminal charges, too
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
PARTIES who pushed for the removal of the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco-3) board of directors and rescission of the supply contract with an independent power producer are mulling criminal charges against the dismissed directors.
May 24, 2010
Brownouts traced to transmission glitches
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
PROBLEMS in transmission lines continue to compromise steady supply of power in Panay and the rest of Western Visayas, a director of an Iloilo electric cooperative said.
Read the rest of this entry »
Kiko Franz
Balitang Ilonggo 