More on rice husk-fired power plant

Posted on August 29, 2006 - Filed Under Punch Forum |

Sosimo Ma. Pablico
29 August 2006


Mr. Jeremias Andrade Carrera,

First and foremost, may I assure you that the feasibility studies on the establishment of rice husk-fired power plants were based on data gathered mainly through interviews with 381 rice millers in the top 20 rice producing provinces of the Philippines. The interview schedule was pre-tested before these were used for gathering the data. Interviewers trained on the use of the instrument. Data from secondary sources, like the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, were also gathered. Please be reminded that PhilRice is an internationally recognized research institution for the quality of its researches and, hence, its officials would not allow any study not to go through the rigorous scientific method.

The feasibility studies were made with the collaboration of three PhilRice partners based at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, two of them Filipinos. They have been in this business for a number of years already and they are very well versed on what they are doing. In fact, they already have a consulting firm for projects like this. I was with the team when the feasibility studies were presented to the stakeholders, copies of which were given to their leaders, and I noted that they covered all angles.

You seem to be very pessimistic. Take a brighter look at the future. Based on the results of the survey, the proposed sites will never run out of rice husk, as the amount reported by the millers are conservative estimates. We suspect that most of them understated the amount of rice husk they generate for fear that some agencies will run after them. We’ve been through typhoons and droughts but the millers continue to generate voluminous amount of rice husk, giving them lots of headache. I must tell you that if we only look at the negative side, this country will never progress.

In two visits to Thailand and Malaysia with the rice millers, we have seen how rice husk-fired cogeneration plants have made large mills rice mills self-sufficient in their energy requirements and made money out of their venture. We visited the Chia Meng Company Ltd. and the Patum Rice Mill and Granary Co. Ltd. in Thailand, as well as the Ban Heng Bee Rice Mill and Titi Serong Edar Sdn, Bhd. in Malaysia. All of them are very happy about their rice husk-fired cogeneration plants. While Patum Rice Mill and Granary buys 25 percent of its rice husk needs, the three other mills use their own rice husk only. All of them sell to the grid the energy not used by their mills.

You should have attended the investment forum at the Manila Hotel last August 22, which was well attended by rice millers, local government officials like Mayor Anastacio Dayrit of Cabatuan, Isabela and Mayor Alex Belena of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, representatives of government agencies like the Dept. of Energy (DOE) and Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI), and private organizations. More than 150 of them. Even former Secretary of Energy Vince Perez, who was not invited, attended the forum and showed interest in rice husk-fired power plants. Rep. Augusto Baculio of the 2nd district of Misamis Oriental and Rep. Eleuterio Violago of the 2nd district of Nueva Ecija, who is also a rice miller, were also there. A local manufacturer of boilers was also there.

Results of the feasibility studies were presented by Engr. Allan Dale Gonzales of AIT, one of the PhilRice partners who made the feasibility studies. Officials of the DOE and DTI among others also presented how their respective agencies can help in the establishment of rice husk-fired power plants. The incentives were also presented. If you are interested with the incentives, contact the DTI as they are more in a position to explain them. Earlier, the feasibility studies were presented individually to stakeholders in the different sites.

I must tell you that the stakeholders are very enthusiastic about rice husk-fired power plants. They are bullish about the project. Most of them have already started working on the requirements.

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