Biomass power generation seen as sustainable
energy source
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, May 8 (PIA) – In time with the
Forum on Biomass Power Generation and Short Rotation Tree Plantations held on
Wednesday in one of the local convention centers here, stakeholders from
different sectors seen biomass as sustainable energy source in Caraga region.
Said activity was conducted by the Caraga
Renewable Energy Corporation (CARE) and P.U.N.L.A. in coordination with the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the National Economic Research and
Business Assistance Center (NERBAC) Caraga.
Fernando L. Martinez, chairman and CEO of
Eastern Petroleum Group bared that biomass is one of the safest energy
producing technologies. "You will not see any form of pollution with the
use of biomass. It's a better alternative source of energy and is viable,
cleaner and more manageable," he said.
Martinez also revealed that the pilot area for
this project is the municipality of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. According to
him, their first choice was supposedly the municipality of Nasipit of same
province, however, they saw some lacking important requirements to pursue the
project, and to which they also realized that Buenavista is next most suitable
for the project.
"With this project on Biomass Power
Generation and Short Rotation Tree Plantations, we hope to multiply businesses
to create opportunities for people and reduce the cost of energy. That is part
of the core mission that we are looking into," disclosed Martinez.
When asked whether this biomass energy will
cause conflict with the existing energy providers here, Martinez clarified that
it definitely will not hinder the operations of the existing power producers.
“We are here to complement. We are lack some 200 megawatts, so this will really
help," he explained.
Also, Engr. Adel Garcia Jr., chairman and
president of AVGarcia Power Systems Corporation discussed how this project will
be implemented.
"The construction of this Biomass Power
Generation and Short Rotation Tree Plantations Project here in Agusan del Norte
is expected to be completed by at least within 27 months from now. It will cost
some P4-billion and we are now considering factors to get it started," he
said.
DTI-Caraga regional director Brielgo Pagaran
expressed his optimism that the region will soon have a more productive, efficient
and uncostly energy source. “The more variety of energy sources that we have,
the better for us. This biomass power generation will surely provide
sustainable energy source for all of us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dave Butler, representing Wellons Energy
Solutions of Portland, Oregon in United States of America, manifested that
biomass is a very clean technology. “Your region is blessed with many trees
compared to other countries of the world and biomass power generation is just
but suitable in your area,” he remarked.
BioPower is the use of biomass to produce
electric power or heat. Biopower system technologies include direct-firing,
cofiring, gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
Eastern Petroleum to invest P4.190-B biomass
plant in Agusan Norte
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, May 8 (PIA) – Eastern Petroleum Corporation, a
Philippine-based company that provides world-class and environment-friendly
energy through its subsidiary Caraga Renewable Energy Power Corporation (CARE
Corp.), will soon build a 23.5MW module of a planned 47MW wood-based Biomass
Generated Power Plant amounting a total investment at P4.190 billion in a
20-hectare area in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.
As revealed during the Biomass Power Generation
and Short Rotation Tree Plantations Forum on Wednesday, the engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) of the project stands at around P2.931
billion which includes the electro-mechanical, civil and site works, 69kV TX
line and capacity injection SS. Other project cost is at around P1.258 billion
which covers capitalized interests and financial fees, professional fees,
construction all risk insurance, equipment taxes/duties, start-up costs, land,
proponents costs and contingency equity.
Caraga region, being known to be the wood and
timber corridor of the Philippines, has been transformed into commercial tree
farms and providing sustainable source of wood and timber materials though a
successful tree farming program started in the area about twenty years ago. As
such, the abundance of these kind of resources suggests a viable source of
renewable energy.
“The tree farms are currently owned by a
combination of local landowners and indigenous peoples who took participation
in forest management programs of the government, in efforts to institutionalize
the replenishment of forest covers of the region,” said Fernando Martinez,
chairman and chief executive officer of Eastern Petroleum Group.
Martinez explained that about 10,000 hectares
shall be initially converted into an Integrated Tree Plantation (ITP) as
long-term fuel resource base. He added that the 23.5MW plant will require about
200,000 to 250,000 green tons per year of biomass feedstock. The captive fuel
resource base covered by the initial ITP program is at least 10,000 hectares
capable to sustain at least 2 x 23.5MW power generation units.
In addition, available wood waste product around
Caraga such as saw dust and trimmings have substantial availability across the
area.
According to Martinez, the officially termed
BioPower is one of the safest energy producing technologies and is cleaner and
more manageable.
The project shall use a well-established and
matured technologies for a broiler and steam turbine and associated auxiliaries
from the United States (US). It specifically intends to use the Wellons Boiler
Technology from Vancouver, Washington.
Dave Butler, representing Wellons Energy
Solutions in Portland, Oregon, USA expressed his support to the said project
which shall utilize wood chips as primary fuel, to be sourced from the vast
forest residues and commercial tree farms of the provinces composing Caraga
region.
Recent developments showed that as of April 2014,
the company has finished the site assessment and technical feasibility studies
for the project. It has also finished the site survey; topographic map, water
resource and fuel resource study; and bankable feasibility study which is ready
for presentation to financial institutions. Caraga Power has also acquired
through its sister company the 15-hectare project site which is part of the
100-hectare industrial and commercial estate in the town of Buenavista along
the national road.
Martinez assured that the project shall be
compliant to the renewable energy laws on registration, qualification,
permitting and regulatory requirements and to the Philippine Grid Code as well.
He also said that the approved tariff rate for electricity from biomass fired
power generation facility is P6.63 per kWh.
“By proliferating BioPower projects, we hope to
multiply commercial and industrial hubs to create more opportunities for people
but with reduced cost of energy. That is part of the core mission that we are
looking into,” remarked Martinez.
It was mentioned that the projected commercial
operation period of the plant is 25 years. Start of EPC is by 2014 and
commercial operation by 2017. The estimated manpower for the plant is at 81
employees. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
LGU reps undergo Biodiversity Monitoring System
Enhancement Training
By Jimster B. Samson
SURIGAO DEL NORTE, May 8 (PIA) - Representatives
from the eight-member municipalities of the Lake Mainit Development Alliance
(LMDA) have completed the five-day training on Biodiversity Monitoring System
(BMS) Enhancement held recently at Kasili Lakeside Resort, Mainit, this
province.
According to LMDA Biodiversity Partnership
Project Team Leader Omar Barillo, the five-day training was aimed to help local
government units assess biodiversity and formulate plans and policy-making
support to conservation.
"BMS as a resource monitoring tool is very
important for the LGUs for it helps them assess their local biodiversity with
primary consideration in planning and policy-making support to
conservation," Barillo emphasized.
LMDA is an alliance of municipalities composed
of Tubay, Santiago, Jabonga and Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte and Alegria,
Mainit, Sison and Tubod in Surigao del Norte, government line agencies (DA,
NEDA, DENR, BFAR, PIA, DOT) and civil society organizations in Lake Mainit
area. Its significant role is to serve as the coordinating body of
multi-stakeholders in preserving and promoting Lake Mainit ecosystem. (SDR/LGU-Tubod/PIA-Surigao
del Norte)
5 govt agencies, 2 private orgs in SurSur ink
MOA for police investigation and case build-up enhancement skills
By Greg Tataro Jr.
TANDAG CITY, May 8 (PIA) – Five government
agencies and two private organizations have signed on Wednesday a “Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA) for Police Enhancement Training Course for Chiefs of Police
(COPs)/Investigators of Surigao del Sur” with the aim to equip law enforcers
with the necessary know-how to pin down criminals before the law of justice.
The event which bore the theme, “Crime is
everybody’s concern and public safety is a shared responsibility” highlighted
the 1st Quarterly Meeting of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines
(LMP)-Surigao del Sur Chapter that was presided over by Carrascal town Mayor
Vicente Pimentel, Jr., its incumbent president.
Mayor Pimentel, who was so receptive to the
idea, said in his welcome address that something has to be done in order to
help the police close the gap in solving the increasing crime rates in the
province, especially on illegal drugs.
The signatories to the MOA on the part of
government agencies are Governor Johnny Pimentel for the Province of Surigao
del Sur; Carrascal town Mayor Vicente Pimentel, Jr. for the League of
Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)- Surigao del Sur Chapter; Atty. Florito
Cuartero for the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor; Provincial Director
Pedrito Alacaba for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG);
as well as Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Provincial Director P/SSupt. Narciso
Verdadero for the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Also, on the side of the private sector, the
signatories are Leodorico Avila, Jr. for the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
(IBP) and Rev. Msgr. Arturo Langit for Saint Theresa Center for Ecology,
Networking and Transformative Education and Research (ST Center).
During the detailed presentation of Atty.
Gerardo Maglinte, the appointed Project Coordinator, he stressed that the IBP
was prompted to do so in coming up with the initiative primarily due to the
”rising trend of crimes and increasing threat of drug-related cases and the
inherent difficulty in the arrest and successful criminal prosecution of
suspects.”
He likewise said that the launching and training
of recruits is soon to follow next month. (NGBT/Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Surigao del
Sur)
Feature: Rough road to resilience and self
reliance
By Gervacio C. Dauz, Jr.
BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte, May 8 (PIA) - His
parents were used to wallowing in precarious living and toiling, as if the
daily grind has always been a Sisyphean climb.
Having seen how poverty wreaks havoc to the welfare and well-being of
his family, Rodolfo G. Ebio, Jr. therefore resolved to firm up his personal
life through capacitating himself. And
he found out that dreaming, coupled with patience and determination, is surely
taking him to a better level, one step at a time.
Jong-Jong, as he is fondly called by friends and
kin, is the third and youngest siblings in the family. His father, Rodolfo, Sr., is a plain
carpenter cum mason, but manages also to do other menial tasks ala jack of all
trades if only to make both ends meet for the family. His mother, Miladel, supports the family
upkeep by doing household chores on a full time basis. While he breezed through
in his secondary level studies, finishing at a very young age of 15 at the
Buenavista Institute here, he was prevailed upon to postpone his dream of
pursuing tertiary or post-secondary studies due to the unstable income of his
father. At least his two elder siblings
were supported and allowed by his parents to continue with their studies,
though they have to tighten their belts also.
Even if nothing productive seemed to happen in
his four years of gestation period as an out of school youth, yet he found a
way to get busy, and that was through doing extra work at an electronics shop
located at a frenetic thoroughfare in Libertad, Butuan City. Upon noticing that he got a potential to
become a meticulous electronics technician, Michael Vagallon, an uncle of his
that owned and managed the shop, took a liking of him. Presto, he zinged his way as an apprentice
with his uncle sharing with him important tips and methods on how to handle and
troubleshoot broken or impaired household appliances, including other
electronic gadgets, until the same would be repaired or restored to
normalcy. But for complicated cases, he
would seek proper mentoring and tutelage from his uncle. In between, he gradually learned also how to
entertain customers’ complaints and handle demanding or abrasive clients. He
enjoyed the exposure and experience while it lasted – until his uncle decided
to fold shop and seek greener pastures abroad.
It seemed he’s back to square one once again.
But it wasn’t too long when his parents decided
to support his new-found dream of becoming an electronics technician
someday. Thus, at 19 years of age, he
strutted as a freshman at the corridors of the Philippine Electronics and
Communications Institute of Technology (PECIT) in Butuan City and enrolled
right away under the two-year Consumer Electronics Servicing NC II
qualification beginning on June 2009.
Brimming with pride, he resolved to finish his dream in due time, though
unbeknownst to him, the support from his parents might not be enough for the
long haul.
Fortunately, two months after, the school opened
its doors to accept able and willing applicants to become student assistants
under the Alicia’s Foundation, so named in memory of the late matriarch of the
school. With a strong endorsement from his instructor, he grabbed the
opportunity, if only to ensure that he will make it through thick or thin.
He was made to understand that his perks as a
student assistant would include free tuition privilege, which was already a big
help. But at the reverse side, it would
mean six hours a day, from Monday to Saturday, of vigilant and meticulous
laboring as a maintenance guy of school laboratories and surroundings, plus
being the first man in and the last man out during school activities, to
include also other menial tasks as may be assigned by his superiors.
“The exposure and experience made me a better
fellow,” he quipped, “because I have learned how to be time-conscious, patient,
vigilant, flexible, and spend-thrift at the personal level. At the social level, I appreciated my oozing
self-confidence because I already got a knack in dealing with my superiors and
instructors, as well as adjusting with my peers.”
A month after his graduation, employment was
handed to him in silver platter by Zenergy, a company that offers cable and
internet services and which is also a sister company of his alma mater located
in the same compound. Because of his
performance and dedication as a Head End Technician, Marita Z. Corrales, his company
manager, took notice of him, turning him into a regular employee a year after
or effective May 2012. This means that
he would enjoy a basic pay plus incentives, and will be included in the
coverage of Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, and Social Security System.
On free days back in Purok 5, Barangay Manapa
here where he resides with his family, he is actually a sought-after
electronics technician in the community and he is making an average of a
thousand bucks per month for doing what he enjoys best.
“As a Head End Technician,” I inquired, “what
exactly do you do?” In reply, “I
actually maintain and sometimes troubleshoot the company’s cable nerve
center.” But he surprised me when he
shared, “I also dabbled as a welder for the company on lean moments, because we
need to install grills and other metal buffer as security measures for our
sensitive and very expensive equipment.”
“Say, where did you learn welding?” I followed up. “I learned it,” he enthused, “the hard way,
though, while volunteering for the company, if only to lessen the expenses.” To which I countered: “So, you are making
yourself relevant even if it’s hard. No wonder that your superiors like
you.” For said comment, he just smiled
and nodded.
Still young and ambitious, he desires to proceed
with information technology programming, because for him electronics operations
in advance countries means being proficient also with programming.
“What about love life?” I egged him, because
he’s now 24 years old. “Not now, sir” he
intoned. “I still have amortizations to
pay and I likewise give my share in our household expenses. I would like to
save more also, so that settling down later would not be a burden.”
As a parting shot, he acknowledged that “I got
employed easily because of my technical skills.” And he’s endorsing it as “a good, viable
alternative for others who lacked the resources, but who got the determination
and humility to pursue it as a decent vocation.” For those who are still in limbo or are
indecisive, he argued rather: “Take it from me.” Indeed, he knows whereof he spoke, because he
tried dreaming with both feet on the ground. (TESDA-Agusan del Norte/PIA-Agusan
del Norte)
