The hope for the construction of a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Daanbantayan town has shone even brighter as lot owners agreed to sell their properties to the Cebu Provincial Government.
Gov. Gwen Garcia distributed the payment in checks to an initial 19 lot owners who have sold their lots to the Capitol during a meeting on January 8. Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura and Capitol consultant Atty. Ben Cabrido Jr. were also present.
The payment ranged from P300,000 to as much as P10 million, depending on their land areas. There are now 28 lot owners who have received payment from the Capitol, as nine others had already received their payments prior to the meeting.
The purchase price was set by the Capitol’s appraisal committee of the Cebu Provincial Board chaired by Board Member Mela Franco.
“Magpasalamat ko ninyo nga wa mo maghatag og labad sa Probinsiya sa Sugbo. Tungod ana, mouli mo nga magdala og kamatuoran sab sa pagkamatinud-anon sa Probinsiya sa Sugbo,” Gov. Gwen said during the meeting.
The solar power plant is the first public-private partnership led by an LGU in the country in the field of renewable energy generation.
The Capitol’s joint venture partner is the leading Spanish renewable energy provider Acciona Energia Global, which will build a 150-MW solar power plant in the acquired properties in Daanbantayan.
“Primero gyod akong pagkadungog nga i-solar, nagpasalamat ko kay og solar, at least mogamay ang atong presyo sa kuryente,” Juanito Rosel, one of the lot owners who received their payment, told Sugbo News.
Twelve (12) other lot owners will be paid by the Capitol within the week. Moreover, five other lot owners are still ironing details of the sale, while three properties are set for auction.
“Never in our lifetime ko nag-expect gyod nga mahitabo ni, ug nagpasalamat gyod kog dako ni Gov. Gwen kay gawas intawn nga makita sa atong mga anak puhon nga mahimo pa gyod ni nga educational tourism, gawas ana, kitay makatagamtam og ubos kaayo nga kuryente sa tibuok Probinsiya sa Sugbo,” Mayor Shimura said, adding that the project will provide jobs and other economic benefits to Daanbantayan.
The solar power plant, covering 185 hectares across 48 lots in Barangay Talisay, town is expected to significantly enhance the region’s power supply, thereby aiding Cebu’s continued growth and development. | BJR
