BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has given the go signal for the establishment of a solar power plant in Calatrava, Negros Occidental.
“The solar farm is a go, it’s not a controversial issue, they were here with us, they showed their interest,” Lacson said.
Representatives of AboitizPower, who separately met recently with Lacson and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental, said that the company will be developing a 150megawatt (MW) Solar Power Project in Calatrava, Negros Occidental.
Negros Island is known for being a leader in the development of renewable energy, particularly in solar.
Meanwhile, a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, has been met with strong opposition by some environmentalist groups.
Rafael Coscolluela, the provincial consultant on Energy and Environment, said that the provincial government is now studying the formulation of a power development road map for Negros Occidental.
Coscolluela, who is leading the study, said he scheduled a focus group discussion (FGD) with power generators on August 5.
He also said that Negros Occidental Power Sector Assessment Study (NOPSAS) has been created, as approved by Gov. Lacson, with representatives from the various components of the power sector -transmission, generation, distribution, and consumers – to determine the reasons for not using reliable, affordable, sustainable, and renewable power.
Coscolluela noted that Negros is the single island in the country that has the potential to be fully self-reliant on local energy sources, particularly renewables such as geothermal, solar, and biomass.
He said the study group will present a power sector development framework, where a power development roadmap can be crafted. Once the problems and constraints are identified and understood, we hope to find possible solutions, Coscolluela, a former governor of Negros Occidental, said.*
