BOI okays P35.4-B biomass, wind projects
THE Board of Investments (BOI) has approved four renewable energy (RE) projects totaling P35.4 billion.
In a statement, BOI said that it has approved a P777-million biomass power plant project in Nueva Ecija of VS Gripal Power Corp., which involves the development, construction and operation of a six-megawatt (MW) biomass power plant in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.
The plant will generate power using rice husk as feedstock. Commercial operations are scheduled to start on December 2019.
Three other projects also got the BOI’s green light: the Talisay wind power project in Camarines Norte (P4.74 billion), Talim wind power project in Rizal (P14.6 billion), and Calatagan wind project in Batangas (P15.3 billion) – all are projects of Currimao Solar Energy Corp.
The four projects are qualified for incentives under the Renewable Energy Act No. 9513, indicated under the Special Laws List of the 2017 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP).
The 50.4 MW Talisay wind power project of Currimao sits within a 162 hectare-area across the municipalities of Labo, Vinzons and Talisay in the province of Camarines Norte. The site will have 14 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 3.6 MW.
The Talim and Calatagan wind power projects each have a capacity of 151.2 MW. Both projects are also being developed within a 162 hectare-area, with Talim to be situated between the Binangonan and Cardona towns of Rizal, and Calatagan traversing the Calatagan and Nasugbu towns of Batangas. Both sites will have 42 3.6-MW capacity wind turbines.
The Talim project is on course to be operational by September 2019, while the Talisay and Calatagan projects are expected to be operational by September 2020.
“Since the ongoing infrastructure program involves construction and modernization of airports, building of more roads, railroads and transport networks all over the country, demand for power continues to go up,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said in a statement.
“In the long run, additional power is also needed to usher the growth of other industries as they undergo their own expansion and modernization.” — Patricia Paola C. Marcelo
