31 August 2011 in Malaya Business Insight

Biomass facility to rise in Iloilo

Global Biomass Plc Corp., an affiliate of UK-based Global Green Power Plc Corp. (GGPC), is putting put up a $4 million biomass research, development and manufacturing facility in Mina, Iloilo.

The company said it will conduct research as well as develop, design and manufacture equipment to support the harvesting, collection, transportation, storage and processing of agricultural wastes for use as an alternative to fossil fuels, as well as biomass fuel transportation and handling systems for biomass power plants.

David de Montaigne, chief executive officer of Global Biomass Group, said the 5,000 square meter facility would be the very first of its kind.

"All of this equipment is being designed to help farmers efficiently gather and transport biomass wastes such as rice and corn straw, coconut, banana, pineapple and other biomass residues that Global Biomass will purchase from farmers and consolidators to use as an alternative fuel that will displace imported fossil fuels," De Montaigne said.

"These agricultural wastes are currently either burned in the fields, causing carbon dioxide, or left to rot, causing methane, both greenhouse gasses that contribute significantly towards climate change," he added.

GGPC, through unit Green Power Panay Philippines Inc. and Green Power Nueva Ecija Philippines Inc., is putting up two 17.5 megawatt plants, one in Iloilo on Panay Island and the other in Nueva Ecija.

Green Power Bukidnon Philippines Inc., another GGPC subsidiary, has also signed a letter of intent for the development of a 35 MW biomass plant in Bukidnon, Mindanao.

The three new plants will utilize agricultural wastes such as rice husk, sugar cane residue and rice straw.

The company earlier said GGPC plans to spend $1.035 billion on a 420 MW biomass plant portfolio in eight years.

The 420 MW portfolio will be done in three phases. Each phase involves the construction four biomass plants with a total capacity of 140 MW.