Korean investors eye biomass gasification plant in Agusan Sur
By Kelvin Kennt R. Generalo
Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur (PIA) — A proposed biomass gasification plant was presented during a meeting at the Agusan del Sur Governor’s Office, Provincial Capitol, D.O. Plaza Government Center in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, where Governor Santiago B. Cane Jr. met with representatives of Oro Energy Resources Corporation to discuss the establishment of the facility in the municipality of Talacogon.
Engineer Reyman Zamora, chief executive officer (CEO) of Oro Energy Resources Corp., shared the reasons behind the company’s decision to invest in Agusan del Sur and explained how the project is expected to strengthen and stabilize the province’s energy supply.
“We first have to identify the problem. The Caraga region is at the end of the NGCP transmission line, meaning no power plants generate electricity within Caraga. As a result, the region’s power supply is not secure, and its baseload power is unstable. That is why the solution is for Caraga to develop its own power generation capacity,” Engr. Zamora said during their visit to the governor on August 3.
According to Zamora, one of the company’s primary goals is to address the growing volume of waste generated by wood processing plants (WPPs) in the province, and to convert it into a sustainable source of energy.
“These Korean investors will invest in a power plant and will start in the municipality of Talacogon due to many WPPs, which means they have a lot of waste, and we will put the power plant there for stable power and start a 50-megawatt power plant,” he added.
He explained that the power plant is also expected to create additional employment and livelihood opportunities for the people of Agusan del Sur.
Waste materials such as sawdust and other by-products from wood processing plants will be processed into wood pellets or wood chips, which will serve as feedstock for electricity generation.
“The power generation that we can promote here in Agusan del Sur should be baseload. The only way to have a baseload here in the Caraga region is bio energy, which means the wood waste from WPP is used as fuel for power generation,” Zamora said.
Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago B. Cane Jr. assured the investors that the provincial government is committed to supporting investments that contribute to the province’s development.
“If you are an investor in the province of Agusan del Sur, you will enjoy tax discounts. There are tax incentives here in Agusan del Sur,” said Gov. Cane.
Once realized, the project is expected to reduce environmental waste, improve waste management practices, generate more stable, cleaner energy, and contribute to the province’s economic growth by creating jobs and attracting more investments in Agusan del Sur. (KKRG, PIA Agusan del Sur with a report from PTV Agusan del Sur)
