Group cites more benefits from second power plant in Sual town

SUAL, Pangasinan – A group of senior citizens here is urging the new leaders to support the second power plant project because of its numerous benefits the residents of Sual could get from the project to be constructed by a multi-national company based in South Korea.

These are the following:

1.       The proposed power plant project would provide more than one thousand jobs for local folk that would mean higher purchasing power and standard of living for Sual residents;

Multiplier Effect

2.       Real property taxes to be collected from the plant owners is estimated roughly at P800 million every year to be shared by the provincial government (35 percent), the municipality of Sual (40 percent) and the barangay where the plant would be constructed (25 percent);

3.       Sual residents shall be given discounted rates on their electric bills;

4.       The municipality of Sual shall be guaranteed continuous power supply;

5.       Additional revenues shall be provided for livelihood assistance to local folk, more scholarship grants, additional subsidies to local farmers in terms of free certified seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation; additional free medicines and other services to senior citizens, womenfolk and other sectors of the community, expanded health care delivery, construction of more farm-to-market roads, classrooms and other infrastructure projects;

6.       With more jobs for the residents and higher purchasing power, the local economy would grow faster and bigger as more big investors as well as small and medium scale entrepreneurs would build their businesses in Sual;

7.       The assurance of adequate and stable supply electricity would encourage more companies to set up branches or consider Sual as primary location of their business ventures;

They said the new coal-fired power plant worth about two-billion US dollars and with a generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts, would be using ultra-supercritical technology that considerably reduces emissions and pollution.

“The progress and development of Sual are now unstoppable. Imagine the thousands of jobs and the billions of revenues to be generated by the second power plant,” they added.

                                                2nd richest LGU

The municipality of Sual has jumped from fifth class to first class municipality after the operation of the first coal-fired power plant, and the municipality has consistently ranked fourth in the list of top ten riches municipalities in the country.

With the revenues to be collected from the second power plant, the residents are optimistic that Sual could jump up to the top of the list.

The construction of the second coal-fired power plant, the group -who called themselves Sual Pro-progress- said the project dovetails with the pronouncement of President Duterte who stressed the need to put up more coal-fired power plants to avert another power crisis owing to ballooning population and influx of investors.

Duterte said he sees nothing wrong with the government’s plan to put up new coal-fired power plants to boost power supply in the country.

“You open the Philippines for all power players, I guarantee you the electricity will become cheaper,” Duterte repeatedly said as he inaugurated several coal-fired power plants in Visayas and Mindanao, the latest of which was the 405-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Misamis Oriental.

 “At this time, whoever is the president of the Philippines would always contend with coal. There’s so much coal still that can be utilized by civilization for the next 50 to 70 years..... You open the Philippines for all power players, I guarantee you the electricity will become cheaper,”  he said.

The President stressed that there should be no problem with coal when it comes to pollution owing to the advent of new technologies.

Among these new technologies is  the ultra-super critical coal-fired power plant which  at present is considered as a “High Efficiency Low Emission (HELE) Technology” and as a “green technology”.

Its high efficiency can reach of up to 45% which substantially cut its GHG emission by 30% compared to its predecessors or older coal fired power plants having efficiencies as low as 33% only.

For its Sual power plant, KEPCO would be using the ultra-supercritical technology which is the latest in coal power generation. (P.R NEWS)