Manila Times.net
Published : Wednesday, October 26, 2011 00:00 Written by : EUAN PAULO C. AÑONUEVO
A CONSORTIUM led by the Aboitiz group will commission the once shuttered Ambuklao hydroelectric plant in Benguet today.
The commissioning of the 105-megawatt plant follows the rehabilitation and upgrading project implemented by SN Aboitiz Power, which acquired the facility from the government in 2008.
“The inauguration of the Ambuklao plant’s new 105-megawatt capacity will make available clean and renewable energy to millions of Filipinos in the Luzon grid,” SNAP said.
SNAP is the consortium of Aboitiz Power Corp. and SN Power of Norway.
The Ambuklao facility, which originally had a 75-megawatt capacity, had not been running since 1999 because of heavy siltation along the rivers that power its turbines.
The facility is considered among the first large hydroelectric power plants of state-owned National Power Corp. when they were constructed in the 1950’s.
“Several attempts were made by Napocor to restore the capacity of the plant prior to our acquisition, to no avail,” SNAP said.
After acquiring the plant, SNAP spent more than $290 million to repair and upgrade the facility.
The Aboitiz group said the rehabilitation of Ambuklao plant alone sets another milestone in the Philippine hydropower industry as the first of its kind in terms of scope and magnitude.
The Ambuklao plant is now also registered under the Clean Development Mechanism and expected to generate 180,000 carbon credits.
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