Mindanao increasingly turns to RE projects

MANILA, Philippines—The Mindanao chapter of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is willing to back renewable energy projects to meet an ever-increasing demand on the power-hungry island.

PCCI vice president for Mindanao Edwin Capili said that any technology that could bring additional generation capacity to the Mindanao power grid would be welcome.

“We still need new capacity, especially baseload. Economic activity in Mindanao is improving, so we really need reliable supply of power,” Capili told the Inquirer. “In PCCI Mindanao, we have our own advocacy. We’re advocating renewable energy, especially solar.”

PCCI Mindanao’s stance on renewable energy runs counter to that of the national Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is strongly against wind and solar power generation.

Already, investors such as the Aboitizes and the Ayalas have expressed their interest in putting up solar power facilities in Mindanao, but could not go ahead with their plans because of the absence of the feed-in tariff (FIT) rates, Capili said.

Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. Inc. (Cepalco) is also keen on expanding its existing 1-megawatt (MW) solar power installation by as much as 50 MW.

According to Cepalco vice president Rafael Paguio, Mindanao has the best potential for solar power generation due to its high exposure to sunlight.

Apart from large-scale solar installations, Paguio said rooftop installations for households, while relatively expensive at the onset, could become a viable alternative to address the Mindanao grid’s power shortfall.

“Solar power installations can be placed on land that’s not productive. We have a lot of that in Mindanao,” Paguio said. “We have to act now so we can take advantage of the technology. We’re already behind Thailand in terms of solar power development. If we continue to wait, we may have to import solar power equipment from Thailand and get Thais to do our installations.”

Another solution to Mindanao’s power woes is the dredging of some parts of the Agus-Pulangi facility, Capili said.

Dredging the Baloi Plains in Lanao del Norte can potentially boost the hydropower complex’s output by around 60 MW, Paguio explained.