Clenergen to put up biomass plant in Romblon

US-registered Clenergen Corp. plans to start the construction of its 1-megawatt biomass power plant in Romblon before the end of the year, a move that will help shore up power supply in the off-grid area.

The biomass power project was an offshoot of an agreement Clenergen had signed earlier with state-run National Power Corp.

Under that agreement, Clenergen would build facilities that could generate a total of 10 MW, of which 5 MW would be located in Romblon, 1.5 MW in Kalinga, and 3.5 MW in Palawan.

Napocor president Froilan A. Tampinco said the expected groundbreaking before yearend would allow Clenergen to complete the facility by next year. At present, the company is reported to be setting in place all the necessary support systems for the biomass power plant, particularly the feedstock supply.

According to Tampinco, a certain type of bamboo—planted and grown with the help of a university in Romblon—will be used as feedstock.

Tampinco said Clenergen’s plan to put up biomass power plants in off-grid areas would complement Napocor’s small power utilities group (SPUG), which operate small facilities that generate electricity for communities in remote areas.  Amy R. Remo