SUWECO confident hydro plant in Antique online by end-2014

Business World Online
Posted on August 17, 2014 09:40:00 PM

SUNWEST Water and Electric Co. (SUWECO) is optimistic that its first hydroelectric power plant in Antique will start commercial operations within the year despite delays of the project that was originally slated to go online in 2013.

SUWECO Chairman Elizaldy S. Co said told BusinessWorld that at this time, the company is “still waiting for the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for the 69-kilovolt interconnection facility for the plant” that will allow the dispatch of the plant’s capacity.

“They said this October. That is the bottleneck. In the meantime, we are in the process of commissioning the project,” he noted.

The eight-megawatt (MW) Villasiga 1 hydropower facility will be located in Barangay Igsoro in the municipality of Bugasong. The P1.4-billion project -- which will source water requirements from the Paliuan River -- was originally targeted to come on-stream as early as June last year.

The operations, however, were pushed back twice. The string of typhoons that cut through the provinces was cited as one of the reasons for the project delays.

In July last year, SUWECO signed a 20-year power supply agreement with Antique Electric Cooperative, Inc. for the electricity generated of the Villasiga 1.

Besides the 8-MW plant, the company also plans to develop the 9.4-MW Villasiga 2 in the same area.

“For the Villasiga 2, we’re just working on the financial closing and some other permits from local government units,” Mr. Co said.

“I think we could start sometime next year,” he added.

SUWECO plans to apply the Villasiga 2 project under the feed-in tariff system, where the capacity of the plant will be dispatched to the grid at a rate of P5.90 per kilowatt-hour for a period of 20 years.

Mr. Co said SUWECO also targets to start commercial operations of two other projects in Romblon and Catanduanes by January next year, at the earliest.

These projects involve four mini hydro power plants with a combined capacity of 7.5 MW in Tablas Island, and a 5-MW diesel plant in Catanduanes.

Besides these projects, SUWECO has other mini hydropower projects in the pipeline. These include the 15-MW Aklan Main in Libacao, Aklan; the 6-MW Pinacanauan in Peñablanca, Cagayan; and the 1.5-MW Bansud in Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.

SUWECO aims to have total installed capacity of 100 MW in the next three years.

The company, which was incorporated in 2005, engages in the development and operation of mini hydropower projects across the country.

SUWECO, in August last year, started the commercial operations of its 600-kilowatt Cawayan hydro power plant located in Barangay Guinlajon, Sorsogon City.

It also operates two mini hydro power plants with a total capacity of 3.6 MW in the province of Catanduanes. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano source