By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of the administration’s relentless push towards bolstering the domestic energy sector, the government continues to find sustainable ways to keep the lights on for houses and industries that drive the country’s growth.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inspected the facilities of the Caliraya–Botocan–Kalayaan (CBK) Hydroelectric Power Plants in Laguna and pressed a button that illuminated the diorama of the CBK Complex, thus formalizing the transition of stewardship and the start of a new concession period.
The complex includes the 39.52-megawatt (MW) Caliraya Hydroelectric Power Plant, the 23.10-MW Botocan Hydroelectric Power Plant, and the Kalayaan pumped-storage facilities—Kalayaan I (366 MW) and Kalayaan II (367.95 MW)—bringing the total installed capacity to nearly 797 MW.
In his speech during a ceremony on Monday, President Marcos Jr. hailed the privatization of the CBK Complex as pivotal in ensuring a stable supply of electricity for the Luzon grid.
The President declared, “With this privatization completed through the successful bid of over P36.27 billion, the government is able to unlock significant resources while ensuring the continued operation of a strategically important energy asset.”
He expounded further, “In doing so, the government can invest where it matters most, in our people. Particularly, these resources can be directed towards the immediate needs of the public such as for classrooms, for roads, and for hospitals.”
President Marcos Jr. moreover welcomed this development as a sign of investor confidence in the country’s energy sector, a byproduct of strong public-private partnerships which he touts as the key towards ensuring affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy resources for Filipinos across the country.
The Chief Executive concluded his speech by expressing gratitude to the Aboitiz Group-led Thunder Consortium, who will be taking over the reins in the sustained operation of the CBK Complex as the new concessionaire of the hydroelectric facility.
avds
