THEC completes commissioning of Samar plant

BY LENIE LECTURA – MARCH 17, 2022
from Business Mirror

TAFT Hydro Energy Corp. (THEC) said Thursday it has finally completed its commissioning works of its 16-megawatt (MW) hydropower project in Eastern Samar.

The hydropower project was supposed to be commissioned in December but was only completed this month.

“Hydro projects are challenging to build but THEC did it in record time of less than two years. THEC is grateful to the support of the Department of Energy (DOE), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the electric cooperatives, local government of Eastern Samar, the local communities and our workers on the ground who went the extra mile so we can complete this project on time and on budget,” THEC President Benjamin Picardo said.

The hydro project, which is envisioned to provide power to the island of Samar, utilizes the Taft-Tubig River, Baranggay San Rafael, Taft, Eastern Samar, to provide stable and affordable electricity in Samar Island and Leyte Province.

“This is a huge project with three units of 5.9 MW. With this plant, local places will get energy required for normal life and grid improvement,” said Aleksander Ikodinovic, who represented Global Hydro Energy, THEC’s electromechanical supplier.

THEC tapped a P1-billion loan from the DBP to partly fund the construction of the project.

THEC is a project company under Magis Energy Holdings Corp., a Filipino firm set up in 2019 to harness the power of renewable energy sources with the aim of spurring growth in rural communities that have not been given access to power.

Magis Energy is also the owner of Matuno River Development Corp., the project company responsible for the 8.6MW hydroelectric project in Bamban, Nueva Vizcaya.