NEWSFLASH

---

GENERAL SANTOS POWER PLANT SWITCHED ON

General Santos City, May 2, 1998 - Mindanao folk will soon enjoy cheaper power rates with the completion of the 50megawatt diesel-fired power plant in General Santos City, set to be switched on by President Ramos today.

The $70-million power facility was constructed by the consortium of Alsons Power Holdings and Tomen Corporation of Japan. Considered the biggest investment in Mindanao, the plant aims to address the growing power requirements of the region, particularly in the Socsargen area.

Apart from improving Mindanao's generation capacity, the new plant is expected to cut down the region's dependence on hydroelectric power plants, which have been rendered unsafe because of the El Nino phenomenon.

The GenSan plant is also intended to solve the problem of stable voltage, a requirement of industrial plants locating in Mindanao's special economic zones.

The commercial operation of the GenSan plant is also expected to yield as much as P3.72 million in benefits for General Santos City and for the host community of Sarangani.

---