The Alcantara Group has gone a long way mainly from an agribusiness and forestry concern in the mid 50’s to transportation, property development and construction-related industries. It has since joined the oil exploration bandwagon in the early 70’s but it finally hit pay dirt in the early 90’s when it joined the lucrative power generation business.
The Alcantara Group, founded by the late pioneering entrepreneur Conrado Alcantara, has kept its mission to tap Mindanao’s vast and undeveloped resources on its way to becoming become one of the largest and most diversified Filipino-owned conglomerates in the country.
Alsons Power Holdings Corp. is keeping the Alcantara Group’s vision to develop Mindanao with a solid line-up of power generating plants. Three flagship projects of Alsons Power are all on track for completion starting early next year until 2022. Their completion is timely in light of the government’s current infrastructure and investment initiatives in the island. The additional output is on top of the company’s four power facilities in the island with a total generating capacity of 363 MW serving key cities such as Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iligan, General Santos and Zamboanga.
The new key projects include the second 105-megawatt section of the baseload coal-fired power plant of unit Sarangani Energy Corp. in Maasim, Sarangani province, the 15.1 MW run-of-river hydroelectric power plant at the Siguil River basin also in Maasim, Sarangani province, and another 105-MW baseload coal-fired power plant of unit San Ramon Power Inc. in Zamboanga City.
Sarangani Energy’s Section 2 baseload coal-fired plant in Sarangani province is expected to begin commercial operations in the first half of 2019. The construction is over 80 percent complete and will add to the first 105-MW section, which began operating in April 2016. The initial phase of the project delivers electricity to over three million people in the General Santos-Sarangani area and other parts of Mindanao.
The output of the second section, meanwhile, is expected to benefit an additional three million residents of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Cagayan de Oro City and other key areas of the island.
Renewable energy
The15.1-MW Siguil River Hydro project also in Sarangani province is expected to begin commercial operations in 2021 and will provide power to Sarangani, General Santos City and key municipalities of South Cotabato. The hydro project marks the entry of the Alcantara Group, through listed Alcantara Consolidated Resources Inc., into the renewable energy sphere.
ACR recently issued commercial papers worth P1.5 billion to partially fund the development of the P4.25-billion run-of-river hydroelectric power project at the Siguil River basin, and other hydro power projects.
Alsons Power also plans to pursue additional run-of-river hydroelectric power projects in Negros Occidental, Sarangani, Davao Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, the two Agusan provinces, and Surigao del Sur. The projects have a total hydro capacity potential totaling more than 145 megawatts.
Another coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City, operated by unit San Ramon Power Inc., is set to start commercial operations in 2022. Five global construction and engineering companies have submitted bid proposals for the engineering, procurement and construction of the power plant in Talisayan, Zamboanga City. The plant will provide baseload power to Zamboanga City and nearby areas.
The construction is expected to begin in the first half of 2019 while commercial operations are set to start in 2022. Once operational, the plant will play a crucial role in stabilizing power supply in the Zamboanga peninsula.
Alsons Power vice president for project development Joseph Nocos cited Alsons Power’s commitment to bring the project to completion. “These bid submissions are a testimony to the keen interest the SRPI project has generated and are a vote of confidence to the future of Zamboanga City,” he said.
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