San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is planning to build three 58-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plants in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to supply power at lower rates.
“I am offering P3 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) to supply them from P15 [per kwh being charged today],” SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said.
The plants will be in Basilan, Jolo, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. The National Power Corp. (Napocor) through the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) currently supplies power to the region.
“It was okayed by [Agriculture] Sec. [Emmanuel] Piñol because this will create a very good growth,” Ang said.
“If given a contract, I should be able to put this in two and half years,” he added.
In June last year, SMC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman to develop the area, including SMC’s plans to build a power plant to solve Mindanao’s power crisis.
Piñol and Ang met in September to discuss a possible partnership to put up a medium-sized feed facility using corn and cassava produced by Tausugs in order to promote the poultry industry to Sulu.
The proposed power facility will serve the ARMM region, which 573, 446 households. Only 30 percent of these have electricity.