Hedcor hydro plants expanding

A wholly owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp. is ramping up the capacity of its run-of-river hydropower facilities to help address the growing demand for power in North Luzon.

In a statement, AP said Hedcor would increase the capacities of its Bineng cascading plants to 19 megawatts (MW) from the existing 5.48 MW. The capacity expansion will cover three energy units, namely, Bineng 1, Bineng 2 and Bineng 2b, collectively known as the Bineng combined hydroelectric power project.

The project is expected to be online by 2018 and, once completed, it will generate an additional of 42.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), bringing the total generation capacity to some 62 million kWh yearly.

Hedcor is currently processing its free prior informed consent in the National Commission on Indigenous People and various stakeholders.

Bineng Hydros were constructed in 1991 and were among the first plants to be constructed by Hedcor in Benguet. These facilities currently harness the water of Balili River, which flows northward from Baguio City to La Trinidad.

All the Bineng hydropower facilities hold International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications, which are standards referring to quality management, environmental management, information security and occupational health and safety.