3 hydro-power units of SNAP-Benguet operational by October

MANILA, Philippines—SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet Inc. (SNAP-Benguet), a joint venture between Norway’s SN Power and Aboitiz Power Corp., expects all three units of the newly rehabilitated Ambuklao hydroelectric power plant to start commercial operations by October.

This will allow the hydropower facility to start contributing an additional 105 megawatts to the Luzon grid.

Michael Hosillos, vice president for communications at SNAP, told reporters that power units 1 and 2 have been undergoing trial operations, but would likely be ready for inauguration by October. Unit 3, meanwhile, already went online as early as May.

A portion of the electricity to be generated by the Ambuklao facility may be traded via the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) since all the three power units of the hydroelectric power plant have already received certificates of registration as participants. As early as June, SNAP-Benguet already joined other power generators as a seller, starting with 35 MW.

The successful rehabilitation of the Ambuklao plant will finally allow the facility to start running commercially again, following a 12-year shutdown.

It was only in 2008, when the Ambuklao and Binga power plants were purchased by SNAP-Benguet from the government, did the rehabilitation works for Ambuklao begin to restore and increase the capacity from 75 MW to 105 MW.

The Binga facilities are meanwhile undergoing refurbishment to increase the capacity to 120 MW from 100 MW, within three to four years’ time.

SNAP has allocated a total of $290 million (roughly P12.5 billion) for the rehab of both the Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric power plants.