Carlito Y. Uy, president of the South Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation,Inc., said the issue is in fact expected to be a major topic in the next Mindanao Business Conference (Minbizcon), which will be held here in September.
“Stable electricity supply is very important if Mindanao has to continue its economic growth,” he said.
He noted that the 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant being proposed by the Alcantara-led Conal Holdings Corp. in Maasim, Sarangani would not be enough addition to Mindanao’s power supply with the island’s projected increase in power demand in the next few years.
The said power plant project is being opposed by the church and environmental groups for health and environmental reasons.
Archimedes Flores, general manager of Aboitiz Energy Solutions, said earlier that the “biggest challenge” for Mindanao is to attract investors to build power plants with a total capacity of 484 megawatts in five years’ time.
The Minbizcon, Mindanao’s largest gathering of private and business leaders, will be held here once more nine years after Koronadal hosted the event.
Koronadal, then still a municipality, first hosted Minbizcon in August 2000, which was attended by 800 participants, some coming from neighboring countries in the BIMP-EAGA growth area.
Uy said that discuss
ions in the conference, organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, would focus on improving the island’s agriculture, trade and tourism potentials.
The last Minbizcon was held in Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte. (MindaNews)