Local government officials of Atimonan, Quezon asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the power supply agreement between Manila Electric Co. and Atimonan One Energy Inc., the company building a 1,200-megawatt coal plant in the province.
Rep. Danilo Suarez of the 3rd District of Quezon said during a recent hearing that the construction of the coal plant would spur economic activities in Atimonan while providing security of supply to the Luzon grid.
“To ERC, what are you waiting for? What is your timeline? You are now experiencing yellow alert…At the end of the day, it is a statement that cannot be denied that power supply in Luzon is thinning,” Suarez said.
He said revenue derived from the power plant would be shared by barangays, municipality and the province which would mean medical, educational and livelihood projects to residents.
“That’s why we are concerned. At the end of the day, the question is when will we start building the plant? We knew for a fact that this company can construct and complete a power plant on time,” Suarez said.