AOPC to invest P1.8B for Aklan power plant
BY JOHN POQUIZ

Asea One Power Corp. (AOPC) is investing P1.8 billion for a 12-megawatt (MW) biomass power plant in Aklan.
The Board of Investments (BOI) recently approved the project, entitling it to a host of incentives such as tax holiday and duty-free importation of capital goods.
The project was endorsed by the Department of Energy for BOI registration last February under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RA 9513).
AOPC, wholly owned by Cebu-based Philippine Roro Terminal Corp., will require 69,600 metric tons of biomass per year to fuel the plant.
It has entered into an exclusive agreement with rice millers, rice farmers, coconut planters, sugar planters and farmers in Aklan and nearby provinces to sustain its biomass operation.
The plant, expected to be operational by January 2013, will supply the power electricity requirements of Aklan through a 25-yer agreement with power distributor Aklan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Akelco).
The facility, to be sited in the town of Banga, will operate as base load plant 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its dependable capacity is 83 percent of nameplate rating of generator and availability is 85 percent per year or 7,500 hours per year.
The capacity was conservatively set at 83 percent to allow for capacity reduction as the unit gets older.
"This will ensure a steady supply of affordable electricity for the people of Aklan in the long-term.
It is a welcome relief that in place of the traditional power suppliers, AOPC has taken the initiative in providing ample energy needs through renewable means to benefit the whole province," said Trade Secretary Jesli A. Lapus, who is also BOI chairman.