Philippine utility to build four hydro plants

Sunwest Water and Electric Company Inc takes out US$98 million loan to finance project.

Suweco’s four proposed hydro projects are the 15 megawatt Main Aklan on the island of Panay; the 9.4 MW Villasiga 2 also on Panay; the 6 MW Pinacanauan in the province of Cagayan and 1.5-MW Bansud in the province of Oriental Mindoro.

Suweco is developing power projects with a capacity of nearly 300 MW around the Philippines. This consists of hydro projects with a capacity of 179.49 MW; wind, 52 MW and solar, 7 MW.

“We have wind and solar but we prioritize hydro,’ said Suweco president Jose Silvestre Natividad. “In due time we can expand more on other renewable projects because hydro has a larger impact on the community.”

Suweco’s most advanced power projects includes a capacity of about 50 MW covering nine hydro projects in the provinces of Antique and Aklan that will help ease power shortages on Panay.

Natividad said the hydro projects were at different stages of development.