Green Energy Firm to Put Up Hot Spring Resort in Oriental Mindoro

     The plan by Emerging Power Resource Holdings Inc . (EPRHI),  

Constellation EnergyCorp. (CEC), and IF Technology consortium to 

convert part of the Naujan lake into a hot spring and wellness center 

is bound to bring foreign and local tourism into the yet undiscovered 

beauty of Naujan lake in Brgy. Montelago, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. 

The CEC- EPRHI-IF consortium, which is building a 20 MW 

geothermal power plant in Montelago, is out to show that there can 

be a perfect fusion between green energy and green tourism. 

(Photo from Montelago)

 Oriental Mindoro— The potential is endless!  Power firm Constellation Energy Corp. (CEC) will develop lakeshore areas near its 20-MW geothermal power project into a hot spring and wellness center to showcase the healthy mix of green energy and green tourism in this province.

“Green energy is the way to go. Power, tourism and health rejuvenation can mix. This is possible with renewable power energy,” said CEC Chairman Jose P. Leviste, Jr. in a recent visit to Calapan.

   New energy player CEC – along with partner companies Emerging Power Resource Holdings Inc. (EPRHI) and Dutch company IF Technology – have recently started work on the Mindoro geothermal project, which has a potential of generating up to P70MW. 

   The CEC-EPRHI-IF Technology project in Naujan Lake Barangay Montelago, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro is scheduled to be commissioned in 2014.

Apart from providing the power needed by this booming island, Leviste said the hot spring and wellness center is set to be an entirely new attraction for Mindoro, which is now known for its world-class beaches and resorts  including those of Puerto Galera.

   “The hot spring resort will boost Oriental Mindoro’s economy and tourism,” Leviste said, noting that although a law was passed declaring the Montelago hot springs a tourist resort, the place has not developed much over the years for lack of investors willing to pump in money into the remote barangay.

    Dr. Antonie de Wilde, EPRHI Project CEO, said in an interview that the development of the Montelago hot spring and wellness resort will put Naujan in vacationers’ list of top destinations in the country.

   Dutch EPRHI executive said the CEC-EPRHI-IF Technology project would be similar to the well-known Blue Lagoon Spa in Reykjavik, Iceland where geothermal seawater -- with its minerals, silica and algae – is tapped to provide a rejuvenating spa. 

   Mineral baths in hot springs are known to induce health benefits to include treatment for hypertension, relief for rheumatoid arthritis, treat skin inflammations and fungal infections, effect detoxification; and relieve stress. 

   The geothermal project of the CEC-EPRHI-IF Technology consortium is seen to lower power cost of power in the island-province. Island grids like Oriental Mindoro, isolated by sea from the main grids, are mostly plagued by astronomical power rates because of the high cost of diesel or bunker fuels. 

   Until the introduction of renewable energy sources that include wind, solar, biomass and geothermal power, the isolated grids have to rely on expensive gas-powered turbines, Leviste said.

   CEC-EPRHI-IF Technology consortium is developing the Montelago project under a Geothermal Renewable Energy Service Contract granted by the Department of Energy (DOE).

    Dr. de Wilde said the geothermal project would provide baseload capacity with as much as 90% availability. Once the Montelago plant is operational, he added, it would be a big factor in providing a reliable and secure source of power and in stabilizing retail electricity rates in the island-province. 

   CEC, together with its technical and financial partners, is one of many companies and groups identifying and developing geothermal steam fields. Other than the Montelago project, CEC is also developing renewable energy projects in Biliran province and Negros Island.

   IF Technology is supported by the Institute of Technology, Bandung (ITB).  CEC, on the other hand, has tie ups with FEDCO or Filtech Energy Drilling Corp., represented by Bernardo Tolentino. FEDCO is a Philippine-based company that pools the combined expertise and experience of the country’s pioneers in geothermal power, erstwhile of the PNOC-EDC. (Anthony Natividad)