Napocor refuses power for Laguindingan Airport

January 31, 2010

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

After being considered as a mothballed project for almost a decade, the P7.9 billion Laguindingan International Airport in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental may just about face another dilemma that would hamper its full swing operations in 2011.

This as Misamis Oriental-1 Rural Electric Cooperative II (Moresco), the only authorized power distributor in the Laguindingan area, is now hard put as to where it would draw enough energy supply to power-up the entire Laguindingan International Airport.

Moresco president Julie Real disclosed that the subject airport is going to require no less than four megawatts when it is completed and in full blast operations.

He said they had already requested from the National Power Corporation (Napocor) for this additional power load but the latter has so far refused them.

“We are now asking the Department of Energy for help,” he said.

Real explained that their electric cooperative is merely into distributing power which does not have any independent power producer as like that of the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Co. (Cepalco) which has Mindanao Energy Systems, Inc. (Minergy) as its independent power producer.

Because of this, he said they need additional power supply for the four megawatt additional power requirement brought by the airport project to make sure that the power supply for their consumer-members would not be affected.

“But we are confident that by the time the Laguindingan International Airport is fully completed we already have enough power supply for its full blast operations,” he explained during a gathering with the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperative (Amreco).

Already, the Department of Transportation and Communications – Laguindingan Airport Development Project (DOTC-LADP) office had recently issued statements that this multi-million airport is 52 percent completed by its project contractor Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC).

Once completed, the international airport project is set to provide airport facilities that would accommodate international standard commercial air service to support the agricultural and industrial development of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor. (PNN with reports from Ercel Maandig)

Written by admin · Filed Under Feature