By Anthony Bayarong
SUBIC BAY Free port: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced Wednesday that Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. will install a $420-million coal-fired plant next year while Subic Enerzone will set up a P210-million system installation and rehabilitation project to improve its service.
“These power projects are crucial to the growth of the Subic Free Port and the local economy because they will help reduce the cost of electricity in Subic, as well as address a projected increase in power demand,” SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said.
The proposed 300-megawatt coal plant to be built near the Hanjin shipyard is designed to partly address the expected surge in electricity demand in Luzon.
The project, a joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp., is scheduled for completion in 2011, with another 300-megawatt facility set to follow three years later.
Meanwhile, Subic Enerzone that operates the power distribution system in the Subic Free Port said that power consumption in its Subic franchise area has been increasing over the past few years, which is why it has to upgrade the power system in Subic, and put up additional generation facilities.
The substation upgrade projects include restoration or replacement of switchgears, installation of new power cables, and construction of take-off and by-pass structures.
