I WAS about to take my exam last Saturday at Mindanao State University but it was cancelled due to a sudden power outage. A week before that, several brownouts caused the delay in the submission of our reports on student performance. It doesn’t end with that. There are bigger problems, too, like your cellphone and laptop going empty and you couldn’t connect to your plurk buddies anymore. Seriously, the greater problem is, are we facing power shortage already?

In November last year, Archimedes Flores, general manager of Aboitiz Energy Solutions presented a briefing paper to the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce that projects  an 84 MegaWatt shortage next year and 174 MegaWatt shortage by 2011. (Source: GMA News)

On the daily basis, the SocSKSarGen area requires about 150 MW of electricity and this is expected to increase by about 150 MW when the Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) begins its operation in 2011. At present, the are is sourcing its electricity from NAPOCOR and from two diesel power plants located in General Santos City and Alabel, Sarangani Province. The two power plants produce electricity at only 104 MW. (Source: Edwin Espejo)

The continuous development in the area, such as the rise of new establishments, also increases the power requirement. Now, how are these problems being addressed? For sure, as most activities that people do today involve electricity, we could not afford to deal with brownouts everyday.

CONAL Holdings proposes an answer to this with its plan to build a 200-MW coal based power plant in Kamanga Maasim, Sarangani Province. CONAL Holdings is a venture between the Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (Thailand) and the Alacanta Group, which also operates the Southern Philippine Power Corporation and Alsons Aqua Resources Company in Sarangani Province. (Source: Industrial Info)

Although, Kamanga Power Plant General Manager, Gregorio S. Gonzales, claims that the company will employ technologies that are compliant to Philippines Laws that protect the environment, the people cannot be blamed if they would rise up against it as it still pose danger to Massim, nearby towns Kiamba and Maitum, and even the city of General Santos.

The major drawbacks of coal-fired power plants include emissions of greenhouse gases that are said to contribute to global warming, inroganic aerosols that can damage the ozone layer, and fly ash that can pollute the air and water systems. (Sources: GSA, ORNL, Wikipedia)

Now it is a question of how much are we willing to put at risk for the sake of development?

Public Hearing on the proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Maasim, Sarangani Province (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion)