Power outage looms over Mindanao anew — Energy Dept.

Mindanao may suffer from power outages should some power facilities in the region break down, the Energy Department said Sunday. Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said in a statement that Mindanao has a "very limited reserved power." Supply stability may be threatened in case power plants with a minimum capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) conk out, he added. Alemendras pointed out that his department has been urging the private sector to construct more coal-fired power plants. Energy Assistant Secretary Ramon Oca said the diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., for one, has existing contracts to develop coal-fired power plants. Energy Department records show that a total of 70 million metric tons of coal are mineable at Lake Sebu town in South Cotabato. Industry leaders said this amount of coal can possible support a power plant with an estimated capacity of 740 MW for 25 years. To assuage the sentiments of environmentalists and members of the civil society, "coal mining can be conducted responsibly and the site can be rehabilitated to bring it back to its original form," according to Oca. He underscored that the community stands to gain benefits from the project like employment of skilled and non-skilled workers, creation of business opportunities, and increased community income. Oca said the building of coal power plants is just one of the many options in addressing the increasing electricity demand in Mindanao since coal supply is not affected by seasonal changes. — JE, GMA News