Hedcor sets Manolo project commissioning by Q3 2017

Posted on October 18, 2016
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Corporate&title=hedcor-sets-manolo-project-commissioning-by-q3-2017&id=135032

ABOITIZ POWER Corp. subsidiary Hedcor, Inc. has scheduled the commissioning of its 68.8-megawatt (MW) Manolo Fortich hydropower project in Bukidnon province by the third quarter of next year.

Rene B. Ronquillo, Hedcor’s president and chief operating officer, said the project has now reached 3.7 million man-hours and is now 63% complete.

“Our team has shown a strong regard to our commitments to health, environment, and safety,” he said in a statement as the team reached the milestone in man-hours with no lost time on incidents resulting in injuries on personnel.

Hedcor described the “milestone” as a “major achievement” considering the project’s scope -- 74 hectares and a work force of about 2,000.

“Hedcor commenced the construction in May 2015. The hydropower generation facility is expected to be commissioned by the third quarter of 2017,” Hedcor said.

The first of the two cascading run-of-river hydropower plants in the Manolo Fortich project is contracted to JV Angeles Construction. Work on the second power plant is done by Sta. Clara International Corp. The project will provide additional clean and renewable energy to the Mindanao grid.

Ahead of the project’s commissioning, Hedcor has signed power supply agreements with Mindanao cooperatives including Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2, Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative, Misamis Occidental I Electric Cooperative and Siargao Electric Cooperative.

Hedcor is AboitizPower’s unit specializing in generating renewable energy from run-of-river hydropower systems.

As of its last count, Hedcor owns and operates 22 of these plants in the country, half of which are in Benguet. Its power plants have a combined capacity of 185 MW.

In Mindanao, it has nine plants with a total capacity of 60 MW. -- Victor V. Saulon