Alsons starts building small hydro-power plant, lines up more

THE power group of Alsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR) has started the construction of its 14.5-megawatt (MW) run-of-river hydroelectric power plant at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani province, it said on Sunday.

Alsons expects the P4.5-billion project to begin operations in 2022 to provide power to Sarangani, South Cotabato, and General Santos City.

“In the next few years, in terms of the number of power facilities, renewable energy will constitute the largest segment in Alsons Power’s portfolio,” said ACR Chairman and President Tomas I. Alcantara in a statement.

Alsons, which claims to be Mindanao’s first and most experienced private sector power generator, plans to develop at least seven more run-of-river hydro-power facilities in different parts of Mindanao and Negros Occidental.

It said the next two hydro-power facilities in the group’s pipeline are the 38-MW Sindangan hydro-power plant in Zamboanga del Norte and the 42-MW Bago hydro-power plant in Negros Occidental.

Once completed and operational the hydro-power plants will make up the bulk of the company’s power facilities.

Aside from the hydro plants another project in Alsons power’s pipeline is the 105-MW San

Ramon Power, Inc. baseload coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City, which is set to begin operations in 2023.

“SRPI will soon select the plant’s engineering procurement and construction contractor,” the company said.

Alsons’ power group operates four power facilities in Mindanao with a total generating capacity of 468 MW serving more than 8 million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces. —