By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MAJOR geothermal developer Envent Holding Philippines Inc. has signed five power purchase agreements worth roughly P15.2 billion ($338 million) for the supply of electricity to cooperatives in Leyte.
Envent Holding—backed by Iceland-based firms Reykjavik Energy Invest and Geysir Green Energy—said the agreements were signed with Leyte II Electric Cooperative Inc. (Leyeco), Leyeco 4, Leyeco 5, Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (Dorelco), and Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative Inc. (Soleco).
Envent said the contracts, which would be valid over a 10-year period, would allow it to supply 35 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable electricity priced between $100 and $113 per MW-hour (mWh).
“The execution of those PPAs is a major milestone ... as the revenue portion of the plant is now mostly taken care of. The negotiation process with the electricity co-ops was extremely pleasant and we are pleased with the professionalism and business acumen of our local partners,” said Envent CEO Gudmundur F. Sigurjonsson.
“We are now working on the financial structure of the project, which we expect will take between five to ten months to complete,” he added.
The baseload electricity will come from Envent’s 50-MW Biliran Unit 1 geothermal power plant, which is scheduled to begin commercial operations by 2012.
The facility is located on Biliran Island, which has a good connection to the national power grid. The project is being executed in collaboration with Biliran Geothermal Inc. and several other local companies.
The five new PPAs would bring to six the total number of agreements that Envent had forged with electric cooperatives on the island.
According to Envent, the cooperatives that have signed the agreements handle more than 300,000 customer accounts combined, representing a population of about 1.9 million on Biliran and Leyte islands. These off-takers are expected to consume about 40 MW of electricity.
“The remaining 10-MW capacity will be offered to the six off-takers and a portion left for the upcoming Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in the Visayas region,” Envent added.
Through its various geothermal projects in the country, Envent has committed to add a total of 1,200 MW of renewable energy to the grid by 2013.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
DENR warns vs leveling Caticlan hill
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A LEGAL LUMINARY urged the people to prevent the leveling of the hill in Caticlan to make way for the extension of the airport runway because it is unconstitutional.
“A people’s movement should be formed to see to it that it is prevented because it is against the Constitution,” said Dean Froilan Bacungan, a former dean of the UP College of Law, at the recent Kapihan sa Sulo.
Bacungan cited section 79 of the 1987 Constitution: “The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced ecology in accordance with the harmony of nations.”
He expressed his opinion after hearing the warning of an expert of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the beaches of Boracay will disappear if the hill is leveled as required by the Caticlan Airport upgrade project.
Dr. Ricarte Javelosa of the Mines & Geosciences Bureau of the DENR conducted a case study on Boracay’s micro-climate where he claims that the Boracay-Caticlan Zone of Micro-Climatic Convergence is where low and high energy environments converge generating mild surface currents and breezy waves highly conducive to deposition of white coral-rich beaches of Boracay.
Javelosa explained that the longshore currents of Amihan and Habagat converge at Caticlan Point.
The morphologist is convinced that leveling the hill will trigger local hydro-met changes in the area that would eventually lead to the erosion of beaches along Boracay and drying up of the Lupo-Lupo Lake.
“That particular hill is a climate barrier that deflects and converts strong monsoon winds into gentle breezes that swirl and loiter along the beaches of Boracay and Caticlan,” said Javelosa.
A LEGAL LUMINARY urged the people to prevent the leveling of the hill in Caticlan to make way for the extension of the airport runway because it is unconstitutional.
“A people’s movement should be formed to see to it that it is prevented because it is against the Constitution,” said Dean Froilan Bacungan, a former dean of the UP College of Law, at the recent Kapihan sa Sulo.
Bacungan cited section 79 of the 1987 Constitution: “The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced ecology in accordance with the harmony of nations.”
He expressed his opinion after hearing the warning of an expert of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the beaches of Boracay will disappear if the hill is leveled as required by the Caticlan Airport upgrade project.
Dr. Ricarte Javelosa of the Mines & Geosciences Bureau of the DENR conducted a case study on Boracay’s micro-climate where he claims that the Boracay-Caticlan Zone of Micro-Climatic Convergence is where low and high energy environments converge generating mild surface currents and breezy waves highly conducive to deposition of white coral-rich beaches of Boracay.
Javelosa explained that the longshore currents of Amihan and Habagat converge at Caticlan Point.
The morphologist is convinced that leveling the hill will trigger local hydro-met changes in the area that would eventually lead to the erosion of beaches along Boracay and drying up of the Lupo-Lupo Lake.
“That particular hill is a climate barrier that deflects and converts strong monsoon winds into gentle breezes that swirl and loiter along the beaches of Boracay and Caticlan,” said Javelosa.
Friday, October 30, 2009
‘Ondoy’s’ lesson: We must change the way we live
By Augusto Villalon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
LAST week’s column piece “Where Have All the ‘Esteros’ Gone?” has generated several feedback from readers.
“Let’s change the way we live,” writes M.L.C. “All is not lost, we can still reverse the situation now...though we must first do our part in taking care of Mother Nature.”
“Your article was a good read for those who are concerned with what just happened [the floods]...One thing for us to look into is the lowly bamboo as alternative for construction. It is sturdy and grows easily. Plant them in areas prone to landslides.
“We have to live simply so that others may simply live.”
From another reader: “Yes, I agree the drainage in Manila is so outdated it is the big reason why rains flood Manila.”
Krisbelle of Pagadian City, who has been living in Manila for eight years, observes in Filipino: “I do not see cleanliness in Manila; people here do not care about their surroundings. Only one thing will prevent flooding, that canals and drainage are not clogged and proper exits are provided.”
Chronic disregard
Readers express mainly outrage at how the government has allowed the state of the urban and rural environments to dismally deteriorate.
Outrage? By all means, we should be outraged.
Look at the chronic disregard of planning and environmental ordinances by government authorities and real-estate developers.
Consider the poor maintenance of drainage and flood-control facilities; over-concreting of urban areas; unregulated building over natural waterways and open public areas, whether urban or rural; massive deforestation. These are just a few of a multitude of issues that must be looked into immediately.
But we are as much at fault as those in authority whom we like to blame.
Illegal residents squat on easements and clog waterways with trash. From upscale communities like Forbes Park to mid-scale BF Homes, residents appropriate public easements as well, either fencing them off or worse still, covering them over with permanent structures that clog urban waterways with concrete.
Plastic-free Philippines
These days, a covered basketball-cum-multipurpose area gifted by the leading local politician is the centerpiece of most town plazas, displacing the usual open planted areas that would have naturally drained excess water back into the ground. Goodbye to natural water absorption.
Despite ill-enforced environmental laws to protect our forests, rampant illegal logging persists. Goodbye to natural flood control.
Rather than being outraged at government carelessness and blaming it for the widespread degradation, should we not also be outraged at ourselves for being so remiss?
In the same way that ordinary citizens banded together to help out flood victims, people can channel their energy protecting the environment. We could start simply by taking care of our immediate surroundings, keeping it clean and free from garbage, avoiding the use of plastic altogether.
A plastic-free Philippines makes so much sense after seeing how drains and waterways clogged by plastic caused flooding and destruction. This is a call for us to use biodegradable materials.
We should let our cities breathe again. Peel away as much concrete as possible. Restore open areas and replant trees and shrubs to allow excess water to drain naturally back into the ground.
It is time to change our environmental paradigms. The old way of environmental laissez faire does not work, as the floods have so cruelly shown us.
After the floods, we can’t go back to our old habits. We have to change the way we live.
E-mail feedback and comments to pride.place@gmail.com.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
LAST week’s column piece “Where Have All the ‘Esteros’ Gone?” has generated several feedback from readers.
“Let’s change the way we live,” writes M.L.C. “All is not lost, we can still reverse the situation now...though we must first do our part in taking care of Mother Nature.”
“Your article was a good read for those who are concerned with what just happened [the floods]...One thing for us to look into is the lowly bamboo as alternative for construction. It is sturdy and grows easily. Plant them in areas prone to landslides.
“We have to live simply so that others may simply live.”
From another reader: “Yes, I agree the drainage in Manila is so outdated it is the big reason why rains flood Manila.”
Krisbelle of Pagadian City, who has been living in Manila for eight years, observes in Filipino: “I do not see cleanliness in Manila; people here do not care about their surroundings. Only one thing will prevent flooding, that canals and drainage are not clogged and proper exits are provided.”
Chronic disregard
Readers express mainly outrage at how the government has allowed the state of the urban and rural environments to dismally deteriorate.
Outrage? By all means, we should be outraged.
Look at the chronic disregard of planning and environmental ordinances by government authorities and real-estate developers.
Consider the poor maintenance of drainage and flood-control facilities; over-concreting of urban areas; unregulated building over natural waterways and open public areas, whether urban or rural; massive deforestation. These are just a few of a multitude of issues that must be looked into immediately.
But we are as much at fault as those in authority whom we like to blame.
Illegal residents squat on easements and clog waterways with trash. From upscale communities like Forbes Park to mid-scale BF Homes, residents appropriate public easements as well, either fencing them off or worse still, covering them over with permanent structures that clog urban waterways with concrete.
Plastic-free Philippines
These days, a covered basketball-cum-multipurpose area gifted by the leading local politician is the centerpiece of most town plazas, displacing the usual open planted areas that would have naturally drained excess water back into the ground. Goodbye to natural water absorption.
Despite ill-enforced environmental laws to protect our forests, rampant illegal logging persists. Goodbye to natural flood control.
Rather than being outraged at government carelessness and blaming it for the widespread degradation, should we not also be outraged at ourselves for being so remiss?
In the same way that ordinary citizens banded together to help out flood victims, people can channel their energy protecting the environment. We could start simply by taking care of our immediate surroundings, keeping it clean and free from garbage, avoiding the use of plastic altogether.
A plastic-free Philippines makes so much sense after seeing how drains and waterways clogged by plastic caused flooding and destruction. This is a call for us to use biodegradable materials.
We should let our cities breathe again. Peel away as much concrete as possible. Restore open areas and replant trees and shrubs to allow excess water to drain naturally back into the ground.
It is time to change our environmental paradigms. The old way of environmental laissez faire does not work, as the floods have so cruelly shown us.
After the floods, we can’t go back to our old habits. We have to change the way we live.
E-mail feedback and comments to pride.place@gmail.com.
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