ANOTHER COAL PLANT TURNED ON AS POWER CONSUMPTION RISES

ILOILO CITY— Another coal plant was put online to bring more electricity to the Visayas.

The 150-megawatt coalfired power plant here, owned by Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) and built at a cost of P15.6 billion, has been switched on on Nov. 23.

It is the third generating unit of PEDC, which already has two 82-megawatt units operating in the village of Ingore, La Paz District.

The additional electricity is expected to meet growing demand for power in Western Visayas and other areas, which are experiencing an economic boom led by business activity in this city.

Generating capacity of power companies in the Visayas grid increased to 3,469 megawatts with the addition of the new coal power plant.

The supply does not yet include input from the 100megawatt coal power plant owned by Kepco-Salcon Power Corp. in Cebu, which is undergo- ing maintenance work, according to engineer Jose Rey Maleza, supervising service research specialist of the Department of Energy Visayas field office.

Current electricity demand in the Visayas grid reaches 1,767 megawatts in the afternoon and 1,801 MWin the evening.

Maleza said the new plant would assure continued power supply in Panay Island even if submarine cables that bring power to Cebu, Negros and Panay Islands are cut or suffer problems.

The demand for power in Panay, especially Iloilo, continues to increase amid a construction boom and opening up of new businesses.

The city’s average power demand has reached at least 100 MW this year. The demand is expected to increase by at least 5 MWnext year.

Business operators welcomed the additional power supply as a boost to the city’s economy.

“The additional capacity actually demonstrates the confidence of investors,” said Ma. Lea Lara, executive director of Iloilo Business Club.