Bohol assured of backup power with new Alsons facility

Alsons Power Group is set to launch its first project outside Mindanao next year after it broke ground for a 95.5-megawatt (MW) baseload backup power plant in Bohol province that will ensure reliable supply, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters.

According to Alsons Power, the facility, dubbed Ubay Power Corp., will be powered by standby modular diesel plants in the municipality of Ubay. It will start running at an initial capacity of 57.7 MW in 2024, while the remaining capacity will be delivered by 2026.

“The power facility … is the latest addition to Alsons’ power portfolio, which will serve as a backup source of electricity for Boholano consumers in the event that the province gets isolated from the Visayas grid during calamities or natural disasters,” Alsons Power said in a statement on Thursday.

The company took note of the October 2013 earthquake, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) and Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) that have isolated Bohol from the Visayas grid.

A backup power plant needs to be maintained and on standby in case other generators shut down.

Ubay Mayor Constantino Reyes said the project would enhance investments and increase local employment opportunities in his municipality and neighboring localities.

Alsons Power, an independent power producer that has projects mostly in Mindanao under the Alcantara group’s listed firm Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc., said this was its first project in the Visayas as it readied other projects outside Mindanao