Vivant unit inks power deal with Banelco

A unit of Vivant Corp. has secured a power supply agreement with Bantayan Electric Cooperative (Banelco) for over 15 years.

In a regulatory filing, the Cebu City-based firm said Vivant Integrated Diesel Corp. (VIDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivant Energy Corp., was chosen by means of a competitive selection process.

The project, a joint venture between VIDC and Gigawatt Power Inc., will add to the capacity of Vivant Energy “as it continues to focus its growth in the off-grid” businesses, the parent firm said.

In a related development, Vivant Energy and its partners are scheduled next week to inaugurate the Sabang Solar-Diesel Hybrid Power plant in Barangay Cabayugan, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

The project carried out through Sabang Renewable Energy Corp. (SREC) is a venture among Vivant Energy, Gigawatt Power and WEnergy Corp. as well as “a qualified third party duly recognized by the Department of Energy” to operate a 2.6-MW solar-diesel hybrid power plant and to distribute power to Sitio Sabang.

According to SREC, this hybrid generator “is considered as a model for the future mini-grids in the country.”

The hybrid power plant combines a 1.4-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation with a 2.3-MW battery storage system and a 1.2-MW diesel-fired generator.

Such a setup, under optimal conditions, is expected to provide power to 10 public buildings, 18 small businesses, 19 hotels and restaurants, and 583 households.