By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, Dec 4 (PNA) — Fifteen billion pesos worth of hydro-electric power projects in Luzon rated at 100 megawatts (MWs) are in the pipeline for AVGarcia Power Systems Corp.
“I have 100 megawatts worth of hydro-power projects in the pipeline, all in Luzon,” AVGarcia Power Systems Corporation president and chairman Adelino Garcia Jr. told reporters Thursday at the “Energy Investors Forum” at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.
The investment cost is approximated at Php 150 million per MW, amounting to a total cost of Php 15 billion.
Among the projects is the 800 kilowatt hours (kWh) hydro power from river run-off, located in the Biyao River in Balbalan, Kalinga, which is targeted to commence construction by summer. It has already been offered a bilateral contract from Kalinga Electric Cooperatives Inc. (KAELCO).
“We still want to hit the ground before summer of 2015, because we have to ensure that it flows low. It’s easier to construct, because if you let this year pass, you have to wait for another year,” he said.
The project can be completed in 16 to 18 months from summer, according to Garcia.
Already in talks with a financial entity, the project will be partly loaned by Php 100 million from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
However, he said that the construction is still awaiting two permits from the National Water Rights Board (NWRB) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). It has already obtained a Certificate of Commerciality from the Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB).
The project has already garnered 58 signatures on the Local Government Unit (LGU) level, but cannot move due to the two pending permits.
Aside from the Kalinga hydro-power project, Garcia specified the company has two more hydro and one more solar project.
AVGarcia Power Systems Corp is an energy resource company, which provides turnkey solutions to energy requirements, spanning energy generation plants from renewable to conventional, transmission lines and substations, to commercial and industrial power systems. (PNA)