BY JESS DUREZA
WE are told that the Philippines straddles the so-called “ring of fire” – an arc-shaped swathe of land in the globe that includes several countries.
Being in the “ring of fire” means being vulnerable to earthquakes and upheavals like volcanic eruptions triggered by hot magma building up tremendous pressure underneath. Bad and tragic for us, yes.
But NOT all that bad, really! For one, due to Earth’s periodic convulsions, we are a mineralized land caused by the periodic movements of the crust or tectonic plates pushing to the surface gold, copper and other precious metals.
MOUNT APO
I once visited Lake Agco at the Mount Apo slopes during a media forum. It was an ascending trip from Kidapawan City to the resort site high up in the slopes.
Hot steaming water from the bowels of Earth fed into steaming ponds. It was the first time I realized that volcanoes were all not that dangerous and bad. In fact, geothermal aquifers in volcanic areas can be veritable sources of cheap power for all of us. Nearby was the Philippine National Oil Company – Energy Development Corp.’s (PNOC-EDC) geothermal power plants.
We know that geothermal plants are still, by far, the most desirable renewable power source as it leaves the least environment “footprint”, leaves no waste and it is the most environment-friendly source of power.
Significantly, per approved rates by the Energy Regulatory Commission, geothermal power plants generate the cheapest power (P5.11 per kilowatt hour) compared to all renewables like bio-mass (P6.63/kh), wind (P8.53/kh), solar (P9.68/kh) or even hydro (P5.90/kh). Power from coal-fired plant, by the way, costs P5.59/kh. These rates do not include as yet, of course, other add-ons like transmission charges, taxes, etc.
GEOTHERMAL POWER
That’s the reason why a few days ago, I was engrossed listening to Mindanao Affairs First Vice President Manuel “Bobby” Orig of Aboitiz Power, Inc. giving a briefing on the planned geothermal power plants at the Mt. Apo National Park. It was done during our reunion at the quiet retirement house of Archbishop Emeritus Nanding Capalla at Catalunan Grande (on a promontory overlooking the city and the gulf) to mark his 39th Episcopal ordination anniversary. His close friends, called “Nanding Boys” were there to celebrate with him – although only a few of us (Nilo Claudio, Art Milan and Tony Ajero) among the cholesterol-watchers touched the luscious lechon de leche on the table.
Back to geothermal. It’s not everywhere where one can generate steam from a geothermal plant to generate electricity. We need a volcano nearby where hot magma somewhere about three kilometers deep into the ground can heat up and boil underground water and produce steam whose force can turn turbines and produce electricity. It is “hot pot theory” in action.
It can be simply illustrated, per Bobby, by a boiling kettle (locally called a takori) where after the water boils, steam escapes from the spout. That steam, if controlled and managed, can be a force to produce cheap electricity.
What is “harvested” by the drills and pipes from below consists of 20 percent steam and 80 percent water – the water component being injected back to the ground – so there are NO wastes left in the environment.
AP Renewables, Inc. ( APR), an Aboitiz subsidiary, is planning to build two geothermal plants at 100 megawatts (MW) each in two sights – at Mt. Apo Talomo-Tico in Magpet, North Cotabato and at Mt. Sibulan at Kapatagan that straddles Sta. Cruz, Digos and Davao City.
Although each actual plant site needs only about 1,000 square meters of land, the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, each concession will cover about 8,500 hectares.
APR is an old hand in operating geothermal plants being the owner/operator of a 458MW geothermal plant in Makban, Laguna and a 289MW geothermal plant in Tiwi, Albay.
We hope the project goes on stream quickly as we are all in bad need of power in Mindanao. When all requisites are done, the construction period to plant commissioning spans about four to five years. So let’s all get going, folks!
DAVAO CANADIAN CHAMBER
Canadian Julian Payne, national president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CANCHAM), called me from Manila to inform me that plans are afoot to establish a Davao CanCham which will promote Canadian-Philippine investments and goodwill.
He will visit Davao within the next few days to meet those interested to be charter members.
CRIMES OF PASSION
Over the past weeks, we have been shaken by several crimes committed in Davao City that may have elements of what we call “crimes of passion” like the murders of Davao businessman “TY” Garcia and perhaps of Lawyer Emmanuel Acuña.
Another businessman, Richard King, was also shot dead but this is still being investigated.
Jealous lovers or business rivalry or plain personal grudges plus availability of for-hire killers make a dangerous combination.
This is a slap on our justice system where people with grievances no longer resort to.
GET’S CENTENNIAL
We are marking the 100th birthday anniversary of the late Atty. Guillermo E. Torres, Sr., a Mindanao pioneer in education, media, banking business and other endeavors.
Among others, he founded the University of Mindanao, the Mindanao TIMES, the UMBN, the Mt. Apo Science Foundation and other early pioneering projects that have become fountainheads of development in Southern Philippines up to this day.
When I was a young newsman studying law in the late 1960s, I had the privilege of working for “GE” (while Mindanao TIMES was still a weekly). He was a quiet, low-key but passionate worker.
He was a personal friend to Philippine presidents. I remember him playing golf with President Ferdinand Marcos.
Unknown to many, he was one of the early migrants from Luzon who, even before the war, had believed that being in Mindanao, specially still rustic Davao, was the way to the future. He was a visionary. His passion was to capacitate the young through education.
Today, the fine traditions have been passed on and carried over to the next generation. I am sure “GE” is now at peace with the thought that the torch, still aflame, is ably borne high by his equally workaholic and illustrious “clone”, Dr. Guillermo “Willie” Torres Jr. with whom I also work as a peer and a friend.
On my part, I have mixed feelings – whether to feel proud or feel ancient – having spanned two generations of GEs, the father and the son./PN
