Steel plant in Sarangani seen to start production in Q4 2025

CHINESE steel company Panhua Integrated Steel, Inc. is expected to start production at its $1-billion steel facility in Sarangani Province in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, according to the Alsons group.

Occupying 40 hectares inside the Kamanga Agro-Industrial Ecozone Development Corp. (KAiEDC) — a subsidiary of Alsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. — in Barangay Kamanga, Maasim, Sarangani Province, the steel plant is eyeing a production output of about two million metric tons annually, according to Alsons.

KAiEDC is accessible to key ports, namely, Makar Wharf, GSC International Airport, and GS Fishport Complex. Its key locators are Sarangani Energy Corp. and Panhua Integrated Steel.

“It would bring in a lot of skilled people such as engineers, it would downstream industries, it will ensure quality and reliable construction materials, which we don’t have to import anymore. It will drive competition, wherever there is competition, who wins? It’s the consumers,” Alsons Development and Investment Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Miguel Rene A. Dominguez told BusinessWorld.

He added that when fully operational, the steel plant is expected to generate P200 million in income for Sarangani.

During its construction phase, the plant will employ about 2,000 workers at the peak of its activities. Currently, the construction is ongoing and is about 41% complete.

The steel plant is expected to create 700 permanent jobs once operational and provide numerous employment and related opportunities through its downstream industries, suppliers, and allied service providers.

Mr. Dominguez said that Alsons recently completed its 15-megawatt run-of-river hydroelectric power plant at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani Province.

He also noted that Alsons plans to build solar facilities. — Maya M. Padillo