 |
President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leads the switch-on ceremonies
of the Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant (NNGPP)
on February 2, 2007 at Barangay Mailum, Bago City,
Negros Occidental. The power plant, which has a capacity
of 49 megawatts, is the country’s first merchant
power plant to be operated under the deregulated power
system. It is expected to supply the power needs of
Panay island to augment the present supply coming
from the Palinpinon Geothermal Plant in Valencia,
Oriental Negros. Also in photo are (from left) Negros
Occidental Governor Joseph Maranon, Rep. Carlos Cojuangco,
Philippine National Oil Company-Energy Development
Corporation (PNOC-EDC) president and chief executive
officer Paul Aquino, and Japanese Ambassador Ryuichiro
Yamazaki. (Edwin Paril — OPS-NIB Photo) |
MAILUM,
Bago City - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday
called on investors to come to Negros Occidental that has
all the infrastructure in place to become competitive, citing
its having an abundance of geothermal energy, the potential
to produce ethanol and a new airport in Silay City.
“I hope the people of Bacolod and Negros Occidental
will feel the blessings of development,” said Arroyo,
who was here for the commissioning of the P8 billion Philippine
National Oil Company-Energy Development Corporation’s
Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant. It is the country’s
first merchant power plant to be operated under a deregulated
power system.
Power has become a major cost for investors so we are telling
them to invest in areas like Bago City and Murcia that play
host to NNGPP where power rates are more competitive, she
said.
Arroyo
also stressed the importance of being energy self-sufficient
and independent from imported oil in sustaining the country’s
economic growth and achieving a First World status in the
next two decades.
“Part
of a bright new future for our nation is to take control
over our reliance on energy, to become free from dependence
on foreign oil and become self-sufficient through the use
of sustainable, alternative forms of energy,” the
President said, citing the 49-Megawatt geothermal plant
here.
She
said the government has been harnessing the sun, wind and
geothermal resources to produce sufficient energy in a move
to wean the country away from imported oil dependence and
help increase its dollar savings.
The
NNGP project stands to help the government save some $15
million annually from oil imports once it is fully operational,
she said.
She
also cited the importance of the newly-approved Biofuels
Law in the country’s quest for energy independence,
particularly the development of ethanol from sugarcane.
The
President said the host communities would also benefit from
the geothermal plant through the royalties paid and the
Balik Biyaya Program where the residents would be supported
and put into the mainstream of development.
These
benefits come in the form of education, healthcare, environment
and livelihood projects.
The
president also said she wants to press ahead with a massive
Green Philippines environment plan that is comprehensive
in scope.
She
said this plan includes reforestation, preservation of coral
reefs, scrubs the land and air of pollutants that endanger
the health of citizens and ensure energy independence. (Carla
P. Garcia, Visayan Daily Star)
.gif)
