NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
The establishment of a more efficient and higher-capacity power plant in Bohol is expected to be accomplished in June 2024 with the facility seen to pave the way for a more stable power source in the province, which has been heavily reliant on supply from land-based sources in Leyte.
This was confirmed to the Chronicle by Bohol Electric Cooperative (BOHECO) I manager Dino Roxas, chairman of the so-called One Bohol Power, a group of local distribution utilities, amid power woes in the wake of Typhoon Odette’s onslaught that toppled transmission and distribution facilities across the province.
Roxas said that the winning bidder for a land-based power, Energy Development Corp (EDC) was given until December 26, 2023, to establish its power plant in the province. However, due to delays in the evaluation process, the bidding was delayed giving EDC a six-month extension which will be June of 2024.
Roxas likewise confirmed that the winning bidder’s generation rate once operating in 2024 will be P4.37 per kilowatt-hour.
The four other interested power suppliers were disqualified by the Bids and Awards Committee as well as by the technical working group after they could not accordingly comply with the requirements, Roxas said
The four disqualified bidders were the Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings, Inc, Global Business Power Corp, SMC Global Power Holding Corp. and the Bohol Hybrid Energy Corp.
The Therman Visayas Inc., the one run by the Aboitiz Group withdrew from the bidding.
Each bidder paid P200,000 to qualify their participation to the bidding.
It was learned that the winning bidder at normal condition will be allowed to generate power from outside Bohol as long as they have their land-based power ready 24/7 to be energized once the outsourced power gets interrupted due to disasters or whatever technical problem that may cause its interruption of power service.
In the first year of operation in 2024, EDC will be required for a 50 megawatt output since the three existing power distributors, Bohol Light Co, Inc., Boheco I and Boheco II, have existing power sourcing contracts which are still in effect by 2024.
The notice of award to EDC was issued June 3, 2021, while the opening/submission of bids was conducted on Feb. 12, 2021.