News

PH firm seeks US help for Zambo ‘heritage’ plant

Local renewable energy developer PhilCarbon Inc. has sought the help of the US government to rehabilitate and preserve a national heritage which is the 50-kilowatt Pasonanca hydropower station in Zamboanga City.

“The power station, once rehabilitated and fully functioning, will be a national heritage that Zamboanga City can be proud of. If the US government is willing to partner [with us], the station will continue to be an American legacy that began more than 100 years ago and will [show] positive support to the people of Zamboanga,” explained PhilCarbon president Ruth Yu-Owen.

“We are committed to develop this project and we hope the US government will partner with us and help preserve the project which embodies the long-time partnership between the Philippines and the US,” Owen said in a statement issued over the weekend.

The Pasonanca hydropower station was built by the Americans in 1916 in partnership with Zamboanga City, but it stopped operating in the early 1950s.

According to PhilCarbon, US Gen. John Joseph Pershing initiated the construction the plant in 1909 as part of American good governance and management efforts. American civilian Gov. Frank Carpenter completed the project, which then provided electricity for about 4,300 people, street lights and the city wharf.

Philcarbon said that once the project becomes operational, the power station will provide a portion of Zamboanga’s energy supply from renewable sources. The electricity generated would be connected to the nearest distribution line of the Zamboanga Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco).

PhilCarbon has a service contract with the Department of Energy to develop this project and to avail of all the incentives under the Renewable Energy Law, including the possible availment of the feed-in tariff rate at P5.90 per kilowatt-hour, should the project be given an allocation from the installation target.

The rehabilitation of the Pasonanca hydropower station is reportedly ready for implementation as the feasibility study has already been completed while the Zamboanga City has reportedly given its endorsement for PhilCarbon to proceed with the project.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer

Oriental Mindoro wind farm proponent taps consultant to trade carbon credits

MANILA - Philcarbon Inc. has tapped a third party to trade carbon credits that will be generated by the company's upcoming wind farm in Oriental Mindoro.

Philcarbon inked the deal with Carbonergy Business Consultancy Services, a renewable energy and carbon consulting firm, for the P3.42 billion Bulalacao wind project, construction of which will start in 2014 and will be completed after two years.

Under their agreement, Carbonergy will use Philcarbon's RE2Grid Programme of Activities (PoA) to register the wind farm for carbon trading in the European market.

Carbonergy, along with Swedish partner Cornland International, developed the program.

As a developing country, the Philippines has been excluded from trading in the European market the carbon credits generated from projects registered after 2012. Only those carbon credits from least developed countries will be accepted.

"New projects may be included in the PoA when they are sufficiently advanced in their development and permitting processes and can thereby benefit from the 28-year lifetime of the PoA during which the projects may generate carbon credits for periods of either 10 or 21 years each," Peter Pembleton, Carbonergy chief executive officer, said.

A PoA is a relatively new means of generating carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which aims to lower climate change-causing greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

The CDM allows "green" projects that displace carbon emissions to earn "credits," which in turn can be sold to developed countries that have to maintain emission reduction quotas.

Carbonergy's RE2Grid PoA has been designed to include Philippine wind, solar, run-of-river hydro, geothermal, wave and tidal energy projects that are proven to be eligible under its established criteria and methodological prerequisites.

"The Philippines has many projects that could be included in the RE2Grid PoA, especially wind and hydro but also some solar projects, as evidenced by the large number of applications for pre-development service contracts sent to the Department of Energy," Pembleton said.

Interaksyon

P3.4B Wind Power Project in Oriental Mindoro gets ‘BONUS’ from Bureau of Investments

CALAPAN CITY – The planned P3.425-billion wind project in the southernmost town of Oriental Mindoro gets some boosts it needed after the Board of Investments (BOI) reportedly officially registered the said ambitious power program of PhilCarbon Inc. in the province, thus entitling the company with fiscal incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.

In a press statement sent here this week, PhilCarbon President Ruth Yu-Owen said the company would now starts conducting pre-development of the 33.4-megawatt wind project, one of the two similar big amount power undertaking in the said island province to date, the other one being the P6-billion Wind Energy Power System (WEPS) project in the northern town of Puerto Galera by the Philippine Hybrid Energy System Inc. (PHESI).

“The BOI has approved our application for registration as (a) new renewable energy developer of wind power energy resources to avail of incentives, such as duty-free importation of capital equipment, as we prepare for the construction of our wind power projects,” Yu-Owen said.

According to the PhilCarbon head, the funding for the project would come from a mixture of debt and private equity, or from their capital and outside borrowings.

Called the Bulalacao Windpower Project, the said proponent company is eyeing to start the construction of the wind facility by September 2014 and with its target completion date set on January 2016.

Yu-Owen promises local residents, specifically those who will be directly affected by the project, of many benefits in the form of royalty tax, real estate tax, employment during construction, livelihood program and promotion of tourism will be derived from the project.

The Bulalacao wind project is located at the southern tip of Oriental Mindoro, which is indeed ideal for tourism development. Oriental Mindoro is about 140 kilometers south of Manila.

PhilCarbon applied for a wind energy service contract with the Energy Department to develop the project in Bulalacao town, part of Mindoro Island province.

PhilCarbon said it selected the site based on a study made by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which described the area as one with strong and constant wind with an average speed of 8.2 meters per second.

The wind project is estimated to generate 73.146-gigawatt hours of wind energy for the Visayas grid.

Island Sentinel

The Board of Investments approves Philcarbon's application

The Board of Investments approves Philcarbon's application for registration as New Renewable Energy Developer of Windpower Energy Resources to avail incentives under the Renewable Energy Act 2008 (RA 9513) for the Pre-development Phase of the following Windpower Projects:

Sagada-Besao Windpower Project
Bulalacao Windpower Project

Photo (L-R) Dr. Peter Pembleton, Energy Usec. Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit , Ms. Ruth Yu-Owen, Mr. Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. (Undersecretary & BOI Managing Head), Mr. Rufino Bomasang, and Atty. Joe Samonte.

Courtesy call to National Commission on Indigenous Peoples

Chairman Brigida Zenaida Pawid together with Department of Energy Undersecretary Jay Layug, Philcarbon Chairman Rufino Bomasang and Philcarbon President Ruth Yu-Owen to discuss issues on NCIP process on Free and Prior Informed Consent with Renewable Energy projects.

Greenpeace Sustainable Campus Project

Greenpeace-Philippines collaborate with PhilCarbon, Inc. as their technical partner in the Sustainable Campus Project. The project was financed by Foundation of Philippine Environment and is designed to mould educational institutions as an example of sustainability. It aims to conserve energy and resources, to reduce the institution’s environmental impacts, and to empower the youth as climate change champions. Through a partnership with Greenpeace’s Solar Generation Youth Project, the school administration, staff, and students will together determine their school’s carbon footprint and current energy practices.

With the help of Philcarbons technical personnel, the partner schools were provided assistance in a school-wide energy audit, of which the results was used as baseline data for current school practices. They also have been equipped with the skills and resources to start a public awareness campaign promoting simple and practical energy efficiency tips.

Phase 1 of Sustainable Campus program was with five schools, two from the National Capital Region, and three from Mindanao. The choices of both are especially relevant in Greenpeace’s Energy [R] evolution scenario. St. Paul University in Quezon Cityand De La Salle University-Dasmarinas Cavite are located in Mega Manila, and Mindanao State University, Ateneo De Davao University, and University of South-eastern Philippines in Mindanao as pilot sites for the program of energy efficiency program.