The Alsons Power Group marked on Thursday the start of civil works for the second phase of its 210-megawatt Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) baseload coal-fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani province.
At the same time, President Duterte also led the ceremonial switch-on of the $570-million SEC plant’s first 105-MW section which started commercial operations in April 2016, delivering much needed baseload power to the Mindanao grid and helped end the five-year power crisis in the island.
SEC’s section 1 currently supplies power to more than three million residents of the provinces of Sarangani, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur; the cities of General Santos, Iligan, Bayugan, Butuan, Samal and Tagum, as well as some key areas in Davao del Norte and South Cotabato.
SEC’s 105-MW section 2 is expected to start operating in 2019 in order to provide power to an additional three million residents in the provinces of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur including the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Dapitan, Digos, Dipolog, Koronadal, Kidapawan and Pagadian.
In a statement, Alsons said on Thursday’s ceremonies for the SEC baseload plant—said to be the single largest power investment in Region 12—was proof of its commitment to support the growth of the region.