Cebu power firm building Palawan plant

CEBU CITY – A Cebuano energy firm launched Tuesday its second hybrid power plant in Palawan. Vivant Corporation Chairman Emil Garcia said the company already has a hybrid plant in Bantayan Island, Cebu, since last January.

Vivant also launched a solar electrification project for the Hilotongan Island Integrated School, an islet off Bantayan, Garcia said.

The Palawan plant will bring renewable and reliable energy to Barangay Cabayuan, in the capital city of Puerto Princesa, “and we are proud to become part of a project that supports the economic development of the province,” he said.

The firm has partnered with WEnergy Global and Gigawatt Power, Inc. to form the Sabang Renewable Energy Corporation (SREC), a renewable energy developer that is registered with the Department of Energy (DOE).

The organization aims to provide households and business establishments in small island communities with a steady electricity supply, Garcia added.

The project is expected to be operational in 2019 and will be operated by SREC under an Energy Regulatory Commissionapproved Qualified Third Party (QTP) Agreement with the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO).

As a QTP, Sabang Renewable Energy will distribute electricity in Barangay Cabayugan, which has been waived from PALECO’s franchise area, Garcia said.

Only a few households and tourism-related establishments in the area have three to six hours of electricity from small diesel generators.

“With the launching of the hybrid power plant, the SREC project can provide electricity to the more than 650 residential, public, and commercial establishments in the area,” Garcia said.