DOE pushing for further development of hydro resources
By Danessa Rivera – October 15, 2021 | 12:00am
from The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing for the further development of hydropower resources to boost the country’s renewable energy supply.
“The DOE welcomes more development of hydropower resources of the country,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.
This as the agency pushes its agenda toward making renewable energy a significant part of the country’s energy mix.
His statement also comes after renewable energy firm Matuno River Development Corp. (MRDC) announced that its eight-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya was on track to commence commercial operations in December.
“This site-specific resource supports the country’s transition towards a cleaner and more secure energy future,” Cusi said.
The project is located along Matuno River, a tributary of the Magat Dam which has a large watershed area of 590 square kilometers.
Once operational, MRDC’s hydropower project is expected to feed power to the grid while also providing irrigation to the farmers in Nueva Vizcaya.
It will be connected to the Bayombong substation of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines where its expected 8-MW output will go towards augmenting the power supply needs of Luzon especially with the unpredictable outages of the older and less efficient coal power plants.
MRDC said the plant was built utilizing top-of-the-line European equipment from Global Hydro Energy GmbH in Austria.
It is a project company under Magis Energy Holdings Corp., a Filipino company established in 2019 to seek opportunities in the renewable energy sector, particularly in the underserved rural communities.
Apart from the Matuno River hydropower project, Magis Energy is also the owner of another hydroelectric power project, Taft Hydro Energy Corp. with a soon to operate 16-MW plant in Eastern Samar.
“The company is very much optimistic and bullish in our push for green energy which we are proud to say, defies the limitations of the current pandemic and its restrictions,” Diaz said.
