DOE, Mirant to energize 1,000 barangays

The Department of Energy (DOE) and Mirant Philippines Corp. signed last Friday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to energize at least 1,000 barangays by the end of 2002.

Mirant Philippines Foundation (MPF), the social development arm of the Mirant group will take an active role in this endeavor.

The 1,000-barangay commitment is in addition to the 143 barangays Mirant previously pledged to energize in the provinces of Quezon, Camarines Sur, and Occidental Mindoro.

MPF is a non-stock, non-profit social development arm of Mirant.

Mirant, on the other hand, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mirant Corp., is the largest private producer of electricity in the country, owning more than 2,000 megawatt (MW) of installed generating capacity.

It owns and operates the 1,218 MW Sual Power Station in Pangasinan, the 735 MW Pagbilao in Quezon, the 210 MW Navotas I and 100 MW Navotas II power stations in Metro Manila and the 15 MW SDC power station in San Ildefonso, Bulacan.

Mirant also owns a stake in the soon-to-be-operational natural gas-fired 1,200 MW Ilijan power plant.

The DOE has tapped the private sector to help in its electrification project due to the National Government’s ballooning budget deficit. – Donnabelle Gatdula