ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/23 May) – A group of Korean businessmen is eyeing investment on power generation to help address the electricity needs of this city.
Mayor Celso Lobregat said that a group of Korean businessmen has proposed the construction of a solar power plant as a possible long-term solution to the power shortage here.
Lobregat said the Korean businessmen, led by Lee Ik Hwan and Alex Huang, gave him a courtesy visit at the city hall last Tuesday.
The mayor said the Korean businessmen explained that “solar energy is cheap, but the needed investment to construct the power plant will involve a considerable amount.”
Lobregat said he welcomed the Korean businessmen’s interest and the idea of the solar power plant.
However, he said he informed the group that the construction of a 100-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Barangay Talisayan is already underway.
Lobregat also said that the energy that would be generated from a solar power plant may not be sufficient to provide the power demands of this city, which currently peaks at 80 MW and is expected to increase in succeeding years.
Prior to the May 13 national midterm and local elections, this city’s 150,000 consumers experienced daily rotating brownouts lasting from eight to nine hours.
Local electric consumers are again set to experience three to four hours daily rotational brownouts after enjoying an uninterrupted power service in the past few days due to the holding of the elections. (MindaNews)
