UK firm eyes Negros Occidental co-generation plant

UK-based Bronze Oak is planning to build a 50-megawatt (MW) co-generation plant in Victorias, Negros Occidental, according to a Department of Energy (DOE) official.

DOE assistant director Franscisco Benito said the group has submitted a proposal to put up a co-generation plant that will run on biomass. Biomass, is a new and renewable energy (NRE) source being developed by the DOE, which comes from the residue of animal and plant wastes.

"Based on the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), the project of Bronze Oak will be completed by 2005. It is included in the indicative capacity that will be generated by that year," the DOE official said.

He said the construction of this kind of co-generation plant normally takes about two to three years.

"If they plan to include it in the indicative capacity in 2005, it should start now," the official said.

Under the PEP, a total of 42,039 biomass systems contributed about 77 million barrels of fuel oil equivalent (MMBFOE) to the total energy mix in 2001.

Bagasse, woodwastes and coconut residues are generally used for in-plant power generation and process heating in the industrial sector such as sugar milling industry, wood processing plants and coconut oil mills.

Agro-industrial manufacturing companies normally utilize animal and industrial wastes to augment their energy supply while disposing of their process wastes.

Biomass fuel like fuelwood, coconut residues, charcoal, ricehull and biogas, are still the common cooking fuel in households in rural areas including restaurants and bakeries.

Based on the projections of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the aggregate biomass supply potential in 2003 is equivalent to 271.7 MMBFOE and is still expected to exhibit a modest growth of 1.9 percent annually, increasing to 295.5 MMBFOE in 2007 and 323.1 MMBFOE in 2012.

Regions III, IV, VI and VII have an abundant supply of bagasse while coconut residues abound in Regions IV, VIII, IX and XI. Ricehull is abundant in Regions II, III, IV and VI.