The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Thirteen Local Government Units in Region 1 will benefit from various development projects resulting from the operations of TeaM Energy’s Sual Power Station in Pangasinan.
“Through our partnership with the Department of Energy, the Regional Development Council-Ilocos Region, and thirteen local government units in Region 1, we hope that these projects will contribute to the development of the beneficiary municipalities, and aid their leaders in their COVID-19 recovery efforts,” said Froilan Gregory H .Romualdez III, Head of External Affairs, TeaM Energy.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among TeaM Energy, the Regional Development Council-Ilocos Region and thirteen beneficiary LGUs was recently signed for the implementation of the projects under the Energy Regulation 1-94 (ER 1-94) program of the DOE. The program stipulates that communities hosting power generating facilities are entitled to financial benefits of one-centavo per kilowatt-hour from the electricity sales of generating companies. The projects for the thirteen LGUs are funded from the ER 1-94 regional share. Host barangays, municipalities and provinces of power generating plants also receive similar benefits.
The thirteen projects are in various stages of implementation. In Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, 50 units of 30-watt amber solar streetlights along the national highway were installed to improve the safety of motorists in the area. Several municipalities in Ilocos Sur will also benefit from the ER 1-94 program. In the municipality of Salcedo, upland barangays will be equipped with solar streetlights for the safety and security of the residents in these communities. In the town of Cabugao, a flood-control system is set to be constructed through the installation of gabion baskets to prevent soil erosion. A brand new pay loader, which will be used for infrastructure projects in the town of Lidlidda, will also be procured through the program. In the municipality of Santa, a seedling nursery is set to be established to aid farmers raise their crops and help address food security in the area.
Other projects scheduled for implementation in the province of Ilocos Sur are the installation of solar powered streetlamps along the tourism line in Sto. Domingo, the improvement of the Anaao Child Development Center in Alilem, the improvement of the farm to market road in Sta. Lucia, and the provision of support and assistance to the One Barangay, One Product Development Program in Sigay, Ilocos Sur.
In the province of Pangasinan, a multi-purpose gym is set to be constructed in the town of Calasiao. While a MOA for the construction of the farm-to-market road at Barangay Maniboc in Lingayen was already finalized. In addition, a brand new backhoe loader was procured for the town of Alcala, while a 10-wheeler dump truck will be provided for the municipality of Bolinao. TeaM Energy operates two coal-fired power plants: the 735 MW Pagbilao Power Station in Quezon, and the 1,200 MW Sual Power Station in Pangasinan. It also has a 50% stake in the 420 MW Pagbilao Unit 3 Power Project in Quezon, and a 20% stake in the Ilijan natural gas project in Batangas.