Alcantara-led Alsons Power Group will be constructing a 95.5-megawatt baseload power facility that will cater to the back-up energy needs of Bohol province; and will prospectively end its lingering dilemma of electricity service interruptions especially when extreme weather events would hit.

The power facility, to be developed under corporate vehicle Ubay Power Corporation, will be installed in two phases – and capacity deliveries are slated by 2024 and 2026.

The initial phase with 57.7MW capacity of standby modular diesel plants will reach commercial operations by next year; while the balance will be on stream by 2026.

According to Alsons Power, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project had been awarded to PMM Works Inc. and Ferowelds Construction Inc.

For the off-take or power supply agreement (PSA), there is a standing deal between Energy Development Corporation (EDC) of the First Gen group to supply geothermal capacity to One Bohol Power Distribution Utilities (1BP); then the back-up power will be coming from Ubay Power’s modular diesel plant.

1BP, in particular, is the alliance of Bohol Light Company Incorporated (BLCI) which is operating in Tagbilaran City; then Bohol Electric Cooperative-1 serving 26 municipalities, and Bohol Electric Cooperative-2 that has been servicing the electricity needs of 21 towns.

Alsons explained that the power plant “will serve as a backup source of electricity for Boholano consumers in the event that the province gets isolated from the Visayas grid during calamities or natural disasters.”

At the power facility’s groundbreaking rites, Ubay Mayor Constantino Reyes shared his lament that “when natural calamities like typhoons and earthquakes hit, Bohol gets isolated from the grid.”

He expounded that the energy supply of the province typically just relies on the submarine interconnection from Leyte, but when that is impaired by disasters, Bohol’s energy supply would turn precarious as a naturally-occurring consequence of events.

With the new power facility to be set up by Alsons in the province, the local government leader indicated that the Boholanos can finally rest easy that they can have back-up power even in times of cataclysms.

For several instances in the past, Bohol had been isolated from its connection to the main grid, hence, consumers in the area had to suffer long drawn-out power outages that had not only caused them extreme inconvenience, but also precipitated income losses for businesses.

“This power project will subsequently enhance investments, therefore, increasing local employment opportunities in Ubay and neighboring localities,” Reyes stressed.

Bohol Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite similarly noted that the new power project “is proving to be of great help to our community. Finally, our power issues have been resolved.”