BoI approves Sinoma Energy as new operator of 4.5-MW waste-heat recovery plant in Cebu province

The Board of Investments (BoI) has cleared Sinoma Energy Conservation (Cebu) Waste Heat Recovery Co. Inc. to serve as the operator of a 4.5-megawatt (MW) power generating plant in the city of Naga in Cebu province.

Sinoma Energy is a unit of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd.

The P531.2-million power plant is set to commence operations in the first quarter of 2022 with about 17 employees, mostly from Naga and nearby areas, the BoI said in a statement Friday.

Under a Power Supply Agreement, the plant will provide energy support to an unidentified cement company in the city of Naga by capturing and using heat from the gases emitted by the cement plant.

With the cement company drawing less power from the grid, power supply available for other consumers is expected to increase.

Apo Cement Corp. a unit of CEMEX Holdings Philippines, operates a plant in Naga, Cebu.

The BoI said a report on the Philippines’ Technology Needs Assessment for Climate Change Mitigation in 2018 indicates that the cement industry has three waste heat recovery power plants with a total capacity of 17.5 MW.

One of the three power plants is a 6-MW power plant in the Cemex Antipolo facility, a 4.5-MW plant at Lafarge Holdings (Philippines) Inc.’s Teresa, Rizal facility, and a 7-MW power plant run by Eagle Cement Corp. at an unspecified location. On its website, Eagle describes its San Ildefonso, Bulacan plant as its primary production facility.

The report estimated that the waste heat recovery process reduced carbon dioxide emissions at Lafarge Teresa by 11,800 tons per year. – Bianca Angelica D. Anago