Leyte governor backs demand to retain geothermal generation

Whereas in the U.S., states and counties are looking to keep large portions of the revenue from geothermal energy production, in the developing world, it’s the power they want. In the Philippines, Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla has said that he is in support of the move by electric cooperatives in the region with the Energy Regulatory Commission that demands for the 25% of the total capacity of the Tongonan Geothermal Plant to be reserved for the entire Visayas region as provided by law. The Leyte Geothermal Production Field, which straddles Ormoc and Kananga, generates 708 MW that supplies the power needs of Visayas and Luzon. The governor said that the entire region consumes such a small portion of the total amount generated that there is no need to for the province and the region to suffer power outages – which it often does. He also reiterated his stand to lower power rates within the region by getting out of the Visayas grid. With Leyte and the entire region locked with the Visayas grid, expenses for power supplied to other regions are also passed to local power consumers.