KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/30 October) – Aboitiz-owned Therma South Inc. (TSI) entered into an agreement last week with a sister company, the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) that seeks to stabilize power supply in Davao City and surrounding areas, an official said.
The deal, signed on October 25, aims to secure power supply in Davao City and surroundings provinces in the medium term, said Wilfredo Rodolfo, branding and communications manager for Mindanao of the Aboitiz Power.
TSI, a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., will manage the 300-MW coal-fired power plant in Davao City. Its construction will be completed in June 2015, Rodolfo said.
Under the agreement, he explained, the DLPC will receive 100-MW or 33.33 percent of the total capacity of the coal plant.
With the latest deal, he said smaller electric distributors, including Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) in North Cotabato, will no longer need a minimum capacity required before the power barges of the Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI), another subsidiary of the Aboitiz Power in Davao Oriental, could run.
“For a smaller cooperative like Cotelco, the deal is very important. For example, before Cotelco could purchase power from the TMI, they need to have at least 45 MW of requests from other co-ops in order for the engines to start,” Rodolfo stressed.
He said the TMI could not just run their power barges based on Cotelco’s recent purchase agreement.
Since June, Cotelco has been buying at least eight MW from TMI.
“Cotelco has to call other cooperatives so that in total, their demand will hit 45 MW,” Rodolfo said.
What makes it more significant, he said, is the impact on rates as Cotelco can choose their source of power anytime.
The power deal was signed by DLPC executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Arturo M. Milan, and Aboitiz Power Corp. vice-president for sales and marketing Roland Gaerlan in Davao City. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)
