Boracay Water’s waste-to-energy project gets ‘first proponent status’

BORACAY Island Water Co., Inc. (Boracay Water) on Friday said its proposal for the establishment of a waste-to-energy plant has received “first proponent status” from the local government unit.

Manila Water Total Solutions ( MWTS) submitted the unsolicited proposal before Boracay island was shut down for a major clean-up in late April.

“[Our proposal] is considered as the primary project they consider for their PPP (Public-Private Partnership). So, it’s the first option already. Meaning to say, having submitted our proposal to the LGU, it’s the first option they will have to look into before accepting other offers from other companies,” Boracay Water General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Joseph Michael A. Santos said during a media briefing on Friday.

Mr. Santos declined to give details on the proposed waste-toenergy plant, which is aimed at addressing the solid waste management problem in Boracay.

Boracay Water is unaware if other companies have submitted their own proposals to build a waste- to- energy plant on the island

In May, the Municipality of Malay had already considered a Vietnamese company as a partner in building a waste-to-energy plant in Barangay Kabulihan located on the mainland.

Meanwhile, Mr. Santos said the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) instructed Boracay Water to speed up its plans to expand its sewage system to address the island’s waste water problem.

The company plans to extend its sewer network from 22 kilometers ( km) to 42 km and increase its capacity from a total of 11.5 million liters per day ( MLD) to 21 MLD with the expansion of its Manoc- Manoc sewage treatment plant ( STP) and another STP in Barangay Yapak.

Boracay Water was formed in 2009 through a joint venture between the Tourism and Infrastructure Zone Authority and Manila Water Venture Philippine Ventures, a unit under Ayala-led Manila Water Co., Inc. —