Cement maker Iligan Cement Corp. is mulling options for sourcing its power needs in light of reports of a power shortage in Mindanao in the next few years.
Renato C Sunico, president, said the firm is looking at contingency measures.
"We’re studying the power situation in Mindanao because there are reports of a power shortage soon. We’re looking at contingency measures."
The government had said that if no additional capacity is installed in Mindanao, the island’s power reserves would hit critical levels by 2006. By 2009, power demand in the island would exceed power supply, if no additional power plants are put up.
Recently, Mindanao also experienced rotating brownouts due to the shutdown of some of the plants for rehabilitation works.
Mr Sunico said Iligan Cement buys 100 per cent of its needs from state-owned National Power Corp. The study, he said, would look into the viability of internally generating power to meet part of the needs.
The power supply, he said, would either be sourced from new generation sets, or through the rehabilitation of four existing generators, which have a combined capacity of four megawatts.
"We will be weighing the options, and we will need to justify the costs against the cost of getting it all from Napocor. The costing will also be within the limits of the study," he said.
Iligan Cement is part of the Lafarge Group in the Philippines.
