P50-M coal-fired power plant being built in Pampanga
Monday, December 06, 2004
By FRED ROXAS
MABALACAT, Pampanga — Taiwan’s giant firm Formosa Heavy Industries Corp. (FHIC) is rushing the construction of a R50-million coal-fired power plant in the 46-hectare Trust International Paper Corp. (Tipco) complex in this town.
Tipco executives said that the electric plant project was designed to produce some 50 megawatts of electricity which would be sufficient to supply power need of the paper company which has been paying the National Power Corp. (Napocor) some R100 million in electric bills monthly.
Tipco is Napocor’s biggest customer in Northern Luzon.
FHIC, which has assets of more than $47.5 billion, has just conducted a one-month training for 30 personnel who will be tasked to operate the coal-fired power plant. Tipco said the plant would be operational by June next year.
The construction of the electric plant started last year after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) finally issued the required environmental clearance certificate (ECC). Tipco applied for the ECC as early as 1995.
Tipco executives expressed hope that when the coal-fired power plant becomes operational, the firm would be realizing savings in energy consumptions.
During a recent visit of three environmentally safe and reliable coal-fired power plants in Taiwan, five Clark-based newsmen learned that coal-fired power plants produce very much cheaper electricity compared to the power produced by bunker fuel-operated power electric plants in the Philippines.
The visiting Filipino newsmen gathered during a briefing by some Taiwanese businessmen and industrialists in Taipei that coal-fired power plants sell electricity at an average of R2 per kilowatt hour compared to the R6.50 price of the electric cooperatives and other private power firms.
Government officials, including Sen. Lito Lapid, Gov. Mark T. Lapid of Pampanga, Mayors Marino Morales of Mabalacat, Pampanga, Carmelo Lazatin of Angeles City and Oca Rodriguez of the City of San Fernando and Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain of Zambales, and Central Luzon businessmen led by Romy P. Yusi Sr., regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PCCII), have been endorsing the construction of more coal-fired power plants in the country for the benefit of consumers who, they said, would be paying cheaper electricity.
The three coal-fired power plants visited by the newsmen in Taiwan have huge domed structures where raw coal imported from China is stored and later conveyed to huge boilers.
The operators of the boilers of coalfired power plants said that white smoke emanating from tall chimneys is pure steam that does not contain toxic elements.
posted by philpower @ 5:14 PM,
