Home 
THE PROPOSED Light Rail Transit (LRT) for Metro Cebu would require power that could “light up a mall,” said project proponents.
But this would not burden the local power grid, said Johnny Ramos of the AMA Group Holdings Corp.
“We will not be using locally produced power so there is no cause to worry. We will make sure that we will have enough power to support our operations,” said Ramos, project director of the proposed $603-million LRT system that AMA wishes to build and operate privately.
The project is still awaiting endorsement by the local governments of the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay, as well as the Regional Development Council of Central Visayas.
Environmentalists earlier questioned the amount of power the LRT system would demand from the Visayas power grid.
The increased power demand may also cause more pollution.
“Where will they get electricity? How much is the carbon footprint of the LRT?”asked environmental lawyer Benjamin Cabrido.
Cabrido also said that his group, Global Legal Action on Climate Change, is was more supportive of the bus rapid transit (BRT) proposed by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña rather than the LRT.
Osmeña’s proposed BRT uses a system of buses plying roads exclusively for the use of high-speed buses, which would be powered by natural gas or methane, considered clean sources of power.
Cabrido said the LRT would require around 400 megawatts (MW) of power, which was more than what could be produced by power plants that were already being built in Cebu.
