The Board of Investments (BOI) has approved the application of Libertad Power and Energy Corp. to build a P919.4-million plant in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur.
The attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Tuesday that the company was recognized as a renewable energy developer of biomass resources covered by Special Laws (Renewable Energy) of the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan.
The company is planning to start the commercial operation of the 6-megawatt (MW) biomass plant by December next year. It will employ about 300 people during construction and up to 60 workers to man the site upon formal operation.
“Provisions of the Biomass Renewable Energy Operating Contract (BREOC) No. 2018-05-089 will govern the development, construction, installation, commissioning and operation of a Biomass Energy System that will generate electrical power from Direct Combustion System (Boiler Steam Turbine Generator) using rice husk, coconut husk, rice straw, corn cobs, wood chips and coconut parts as feedstock,” the DTI said in a statement.
Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said the project will contribute to the required capacity additions of 12,273 MW in Mindanao and the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREP) target of 823 MW biomass power by 2040.
“The demand for power in Mindanao will continue to increase due to the resurgence of economic growth as the country prepares for a post-pandemic scenario. The building up of capacity is needed to sustain this demand and ensure that supply of power to consumers is unhampered,” he said.
Citing data from the Department of Energy, the DTI said Mindanao contributed 17.4 percent to the total installed capacity of the country last year with peak demand reaching 1,978 MW.
On Monday, the BOI greenlighted the P549-million irradiation facility by Irradiation Solutions Inc. in Tanay, Rizal. The investment will cover the construction and operation of a commercial irradiation facility; and will use an electron-beam technology, technically known as Corad UELR-1015S-10 MeV Linear Accelerator.