PNoy in search of clean energy, opens Sibulan power plant

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Thursday said the government is studying how to develop more alternative energy sources and has not closed the door to nuclear power as a remedy to the country's energy woes. In a speech at the launch of the Sibulan hydroelectric power plant in Davao del Sur, Aquino said he has instructed the Department of Energy to create "a long-term road map to maximize the use of other energy source potentials." "A windmill farm in Camiguin or Davao del Sur will not only supply electricity to localities, but will also boost provincial tourism and local employment. A village in Surigao del Sur or Davao Oriental with solar panels for roofs may just be the solution for communities to be freed from the hours of blackouts in the region," said the president. Aquino said he was pleased with the establishment of AboitizPower Corp.'s 42.5-megawatt power plant that consists of two facilities that harness energy from water that flows from the Sibulan and Baroring rivers in Sta. Cruz village to the turbine generators that produce electricity. Hedcor Sibulan Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AboitizPower, operates the Sibulan hydroelectric power plant. "This power plant is a testament to the inevitable success that comes when private entities become allies of the people. We hope that other companies emulate your ventures in promoting sustainable development, not just for the region, but for the rest of the nation," Aquino said. Carbon-neutral electricity The said facility, which took three years to build, is the first hydropower plant in the country registered under the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations' Framework on Climate Change, according to AboitizPower president and CEO Erramon Aboitiz. Construction of the Sibular power plant began in 2007 after the Davao Light and Power Co. saw the discrepancies in electricity supply-demand in Mindanao. “The Sibulan hydroelectric plant will deliver over 200 million kilowatt hours annually of Cleanergy — AboitizPower’s brand for clean and renewable energy — to Davao Light to augment its power supply to sustain Davao’s impressive growth," said AboitizPower president and CEO Erramon Aboitiz. The Sibulan plant’s carbon-neutral electricity will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 95,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is the first Philippine hydropower facility registered under the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change as a “clean development mechanism" project selling certified emission reduction units to industrialized countries. "The Sibulan Hydropower project is our answer to the growing demand to develop energy sources that are clean and renewable. It is also our contribution to the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and arrest the worsening effects of global warming," Aboitiz said in a speech during the event. It will contribute an estimated P700 million for sustainable projects, such as new and improved farm-to-market roads, local employment, rural electrification, and scholarship programs, according to Aboitiz. Aquino encouraged the private sector to work with government in building more mini hydropower plants and other energy facilities. In a speech before Davao businessmen during the regional economic managers' briefing in Davao City, Aquino said the government is also not closing its doors to nuclear energy. Aquino said that while nuclear power is still controversial, the government is "seriously studying the proposal" since several countries have tapped nuclear power to address their energy woes. The president said he trusts that the DOE will be able to implement long-term solutions to the country's energy problems before the end of his six-year term. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV