Zamboanga power station

{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Navbar-Philippinescoal}} Zamboanga power station is a proposed 105-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station in Zamboanga City, the Philippines.

Location

The undated satellite photo below shows the location of Sitio San Ramon, the approximate location where the proposed plant would be built, in Talisayan Barangay, Zamboanga City.

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Background on Plant

The 105 MW coal plant is one of two plants being developed in Mindanao by the Alcantara family. Its projected cost is $292 million.

The proponent of the power station is Conal Holdings, founded as a 40:60 joint venture between Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (EGCO Group) of Thailand and the Alcantara Group. In 2008 it was reported that Conal had reached an agreement with the Sultan Mining and Energy Development Corporation for the supply of coal for the project. Alcantara bought out EGCO's share of Conal in July 2013, making it the sole owner of the project.

Environmental permits for the project were issued in April 2012. Korea's Daelim Industrial was hired as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor in December 2012. Ground was broken on the project in January 2013, with only site preparation work beginning at that time. As of September 2014, some permits for the project were still outstanding; Alcantara hopes to begin construction once those final permits are in hand. The project was still scheduled for completion in 2016.

Although Alcantara stated in September 2014 that it had received provisional authority to build the plant from the Energy Regulatory Commission and that the company hoped to have final approval in "two to three weeks" and begin construction by the end of 2014, as of early 2015 final permits were apparently still not in hand. In October 2014, UBS issued a $74 million loan to Alcantara for the construction of Zamboanga and Kamanga coal plants.

In May 2015, Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. (ACRI) company managers said that Toyota Tsusho Corp. of Japan was a joint venture partner in the project with a 25% share. The managers also said that the company was negotiating with various banks to finance up to 70 percent of the project.

In May 2016, Alsons executive vice president Tirso Santillan said that the plant would enter construction in 2016 and be completed in 2019.

In January 2017, Alsons stated that it was (again) "finalizing" EPC contracts — although a company had not been chosen, with several companies being considered. Alcantara's chairman, Tomas Alcantara, stated that "we are just working on the principal cooperative that would be the principal off-taker for the plant." In February 2018 Alsons stated that it planned to begin construction this year and put the plant into commercial operation in 2021.

In September 2018 it was reported that five construction firms had submitted bids to build the plant. In September 2019 San Ramon Power shortlisted two Chinese firms bidding to build the plant: Northeast No.1 Electric Power Construction Co. Ltd. (NEPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the China Energy Engineering Group; and Shandong Electric Power Construction Co. (SEPCO 3), a unit of the Power Construction Corp. of China.

Public Opposition

March 31, 2012: Akbayan protest against Zamboanga coal plant

Numerous protests against the proposed plant have been held in the town of Talisayan. Josephine Pareja, the village chieftain of Talisayan, says "we will oppose the coal-fired power plant because it is dirty and poses grave danger to our health and the environment." The group Akbayan has also organized several protests against the plant in the city of Zamboanga.

Solar Plant Construction to Begin in Zamboanga City, Opposition to Coal Plant Continues

In December 2015, the Mindanao Examiner reported that a 300 MW solar power plant would begin construction in Zamboanga City by a group of French and Filipino investors as part of Ecoglobal Incorporated, headed by Jean-Philippe Henry. The plant would be constructed in Zamboanga City Freeport and Economic Zone in the village of Talisayan, with completion of the first stage of 30 MW to be completed by March 2016. The plant would be financed, managed, and operated by Ecoglobal. Meanwhile, the paper reported that opposition continued against the San Ramon project.

Project Details

• Sponsor: San Ramon Power
• Parent: Alcantara Group and Toyota Tsusho Corp.
• Location: Sitio San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City, Philippines
• Coordinates: 6.9855123, 121.9347668 (approximate)
• Status: Pre-permit development
• Gross Capacity: 105 MW
• Type:
• Projected in service: 2023
• Coal Type:
• Coal Source:
• Source of financing: UBS

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Philippines and coal
• Alcantara family energy businesses