MANILA, Philippines — The $280-million San Ramon Power plant of Alsons Group has secured an Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and is expected to add new 100 million megawatt power capacity to Mindanao, which is experiencing eight-hour daily power blackouts.
In issuing the ECC, the DENR said San Ramon Power Inc. may proceed with the project implementation after securing all the necessary permits from other pertinent government agencies. The ECC was signed by Director Juan Miguel T. Cuna by Authority of DENR Chief Ramon Paje.
Tirso G. Santillan Jr., CEO of San Ramon Power, said they are fully prepared to comply with the requirements of the ECC on the matter of transparency and stakeholder education, social development program, ecosystem enhancement, air and water quality, greenhouse gas mitigation and hazard management.
Santillan said the coal-fired power plant in the Zamboanga Ecozone located in sitio San Ramon in Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City, has the strong support of the largest labor group in the area, which declared the “Declaration of Support.”
Earlier, Jose J. Suan, president of the Philippine Integrated Industries Labor Union (PHILU) and concurrent Vice President of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), said his organization’s 15,000 members endorsed the plant as labor has been the hardest hit by the daily three-four hour blackouts over the past four months.
Suan said unless the power condition improves, workers’ man-hours and working days will be reduced drastically because manufacturing plants cannot go into full-scale operation, and that most of the workers are employed with the canning, plywood and fishing industries.
In a worse-case scenario, Suan said that plants may have to relocate to other places where there is stable and sufficient power supply, thereby causing a huge unemployment problem in Zamboanga city.
At the same time, San Ramon Power Incorporated (SRPI) consultant and former Napocor Regional Chief Engr. Ruben Conti stressed the “determination and readiness” of SRPI to respond to the needs of the people of Zamboanga and the rest of southern Mindanao; adding that the plant is expected to be completed in three years time and will be able to provide the needed power needs of the city, which is at present pegged at 85 megawatts.
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By: Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
Source: Manila Bulletin, March 31, 2012
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