Corporate Social Responsibility Therma South, Inc. Sustainability Brick Project

AboitizPower, partners ink MOA for Fly Ash Brick Project

December 18, 2017

AboitizPower subsidiary Therma South, Inc. (TSI) has successfully formalized a partnership that will help realize its Fly Ash Brick Project during a memorandum of agreement signing with its project collaborators Green Antz Builders, Inc., United Kaibigan Cooperative (UKC), and Income Credit Cooperative last 1 December, 2017.

The Fly Ash Brick Project aims to create a community-based cooperative that will produce high-value construction products made of the plant’s by-product, fly ash, as well as plastic wastes from the community.

“The Philippines is the 3rd biggest source of plastics in the ocean. We wanted to create something useful out of these wastes, and that’s where these bricks come in. Each brick contains up to 100 sachets.” said Rommel B. Benig, President of Green Antz Builders, Inc.

Using the technology from Green Antz, the bricks produced from the fly ash and plastics are around six times stronger than the typical hollow block. TSI’s flyash has cementitious properties which makes it a durable material while the shredded plastics act as a thermal insulation.

Aside from being more durable and insulated, fly ash bricks also cost less than hollow blocks per square meter. Average construction cost using the traditional hollow blocks is around Php 1,300 per square meter while fly ash bricks cost only around Php 900.

“The realization of this project is a delivered promise. We have made this commitment to our community back during our pre-construction days. This project will not only create livelihood for the community. It will also support the company’s thrust towards environmental stewardship,” said TSI Vice President and Plant Manager Valentin S. Saludes III.

Under the partnership, TSI will be providing the facilities, fly ash, and training support to the communities. Social enterprise Green Antz will be providing the technology on how to produce the bricks. For workforce, UKC will be recruiting members solely from TSI’s host communities Barangay Binugao and Inawayan and manage day to day operations. Income Credit Cooperative will be providing financial support to set up the business.

Therma South, Inc. is the owner and operator of the 300-megawatt Davao Baseload Power Plant situated in the borders of Davao City and Davao del Sur. Its partner for the project, Green Antz Builders, Inc. is a social enterprise that has been made eco bricks for various sites in the Philippines, including NET Park and the De La Salle University Campus at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.