Mariwasa expands power generation business

MANILA, Philippines - Mariwasa Siam Holdings Inc. will expand its power generation business by putting up a 45-megawatt (MW) thermal power facility.

Jiraphat Oebchokchai, Mariwasa vice president for manufacturing, said they would be investing about P300 million for the 45-MW co-generation thermal power plant using biomass gastification technology.

Initially, he said the company, he said, has invested P15 million for the first 15- MW project.

The Mariwasa official said they decided to engage in a cleaner fuel and make their operation more cost effective.

“Mariwasa is a ceramic tile manufacturer, in the past we used LPG and bunker as a fuel. Now we convert bio-mass, to make our cost competitive with Thailand,” he said.

“Cost actually makes us competitive because now the Philippine energy cost is higher than Thailand. Now we just make ourselves to be cost competitive because if you not do that, they’ll import tile from China, and from Thailand. Now it will come in to the Philippines because their transportation cost is really low,” he said.

Oebchokchai said they expect the first phase of the project to commence in two months.

“We expect that this November, we use renewable energy. It’s also good for the environment,” he added.

The entire project, he said, will be completed in 2011.

He said they would also be utilizing a technology from Thailand, SCT (from Siam group).

Mariwasa is a joint venture between the SCT Thailand and a local company.

Mariwasa Siam was incorporated as Mariwasa Manufacturing, Inc. on Nov. 5, 1963 to primarily engage in the manufacture of ceramic tiles.

On July 2, 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the change in MMI’s corporate name to its present one and also the change in its primary purpose from manufacturing to that of an investment holding company.

In June 2001, the board of MMI approved the motion to permanently cease the manufacturing operations of MMI’s Pasig plant in view of the continuing losses encountered by MMI.

The board agreed to transfer all the manufacturing operations to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mariwasa-Siam Ceramics, Inc. (MSCI).

MSCI is primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of various quality ceramic floor and wall tiles which come in a wide array of colors, shapes, sizes and finishes. Products include vitrified floor tiles, glazed and decorated ceramic wall tiles among others.