PNOY: Local community, facts will decide power generation for Palawan

President Benigno Simeon Aquino IIII replies to media inquiries during a press conference in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (PIA-Palawan)

QUEZON CITY, May 28, (PIA) --- “We won’t impose. We will dialogue with you and the local community - but It has to be a common decision based on available facts,” President Aquino said referring to consultations in determining the most available, reliable and acceptable means of power-generation for Palawan.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III--- who was attending the 116th Anniversary of the Philippine Navy in Palawan--- made the assurance Tuesday when asked in a press conference about his reaction to an alleged negative public sentiment on a proposal (by DMCI Power Corporation) to establish a 15-megawatt coal-fired power plant for the province.   

The President explained that Palawan is under SPUG or a missionary area (meaning unconnected to the main transmission grid) where “nobody wants to come in to provide power.”

SPUG or the Small Power Utilities Group under the National Power Corporation, undertakes the electrification of missionary areas, which are usually the farthest, smallest and remotest places and islands in the country.

In 2011, SPUG completed the Schedule II of the Sta. Cruz - San Jose 69 kW transmission line (which has a total length of 52.4 kilometers) and set up a substation in San Jose town, all in Occidental Mindoro.

The President recalled that half of the budget allotted for SPUG areas is spent to energize Palawan and one of the Mindoro provinces.

Naturally, significant budget will be saved if both provinces will be removed from SPUG.

Another issue that needed to be cleared is the kind of power source that will be used.

“Kailangan mo ng tinatawag na base load plants…may nagsabi—bakit hindi tayo mag-Solar (power) na lang --- siyempre efficiencies will be dependent on prevailing weather conditions. Hindi ko alam  kung may hydro (power) capacity rito. Pero so far, ang talagang reliable and available for Palawan in particular, is coal or diesel (We need base load plants...someone said why don't use solar power instead...of course efficiencies will be dependent on prevailing weather conditions. I don't know if hydro-electric power is available here,but so far, what is really reliable and available for Palawan in particular, is coal or diesel) and the SPUG area is run by fuel oil. I don’t know if fuel oil is less environmentally destructive than coal, then it’s back to a question of do we want power or not? But at the end of the day, it is the local community that decides,” the President said.

As for gas-based power generation, the President said gas is more expensive than natural gas and the country unfortunately lacks the required reclassification plants.

But for tourism to grow, a vibrant sector where kababayans in Palawan largely rely on for livelihood will need available and reliable power source.

“We are projecting 10 million tourists by 2016, by the time I step down. We’re very close to 5-Million already as of last year. A lot of these tourists will be going to Palawan, I’m sure you are aware of the developments that are happening here,” said the President, “Plus the the airport, i-upgrade rin natin (we will upgrade it too). All of that, plus the upstream and downstream industries, will need power.”, he added.

“If it’s not available, then practically we’re saying…parang wala na ring yung tourism na big industry rito (it's like saying the biggest industry, which is tourism, has not done anything) for the projected growth ,” the President said. (LBR/LP/PIA/PCOO)