Davao del Sur
8 January 2016
President Benigno S. Aquino III led the inauguration of the 300-megawatt baseload power plant located on the boundary of Barangay Binugaom in Toril, Davao City and Barangay Inawayan in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
According to the President, the 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant ensures Mindanao with a more stable and reliable baseload power supply since it will not depend on renewable energy.
“When this plant becomes fully operational, we can count on it to consistently produce 300 megawatts of baseload power, which means that this capacity can be tapped into anytime, rain or shine, with very minor fluctuations,” he said.
He added that the power plant’s capacity is equivalent to one-fifth of Mindanao grid’s highest peak demand in 2015. The power plant already supplies baseload power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Sarangani, General Santos and Zamboanga Peninsula.
“Each time I speak about Mindanao, I mention how the goal for our administration is to transform it, from the Land of Promises, to the Land of Promises Fulfilled, and over the past few years, we have seen the beginnings of this transformation,” the President said.
President Aquino also asserted that at least another 11 power projects, which have been committed by private sector partners, would come online between 2016 and 2020, and would be producing 675.30 megawatts of capacity. This, he says, will be more than enough to cover the projected increase in power demand of the Mindanao region.
He thanked the Aboitiz Power Corporation and Therma South Inc. for being an early believer in the potential of Mindanao and assured the people that government will fulfill its promise to leave Mindanao in a better situation.
“We will maintain our steadfast commitment to peace; we will continue to focus the national coffers towards infrastructure development so that those who have historically been left behind are given a boost up so they can catch up,” he said.
The 300-MW power plant uses the latest Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology, which ensures that the power plant meets the government standards on health and protection of the environment. It also utilizes an Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP), which electrically charges and removes 99 percent of the dust, and a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which monitors the emission of the power plant.
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