SNAP seeks FIT perks for Isabela hydro plant

RAMON, Isabela, Philippines — SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP), the joint venture of SN Power of Norway and Aboitiz Power Corp., is seeking feed-in tariff (FIT) perks for its 8.5-megawatt (MW) Maris Main Canal Hydroelectric Power Plant, which was inaugurated yesterday.

SNAP-Magat Inc. has invested P2.15 billion for the Maris run-of-river hydro plant which took about two years to build.

It is the first power plant built by SNAP since it acquired the 380-MW Magat hydroelectric power plant in 2007 through privatization, also under SNAP-Magat.

It is composed of two Kaplan generator units with a nameplate capacity of 4.25 MW each. Unit 1 was commissioned on Oct. 24 while Unit 2 was commissioned on Nov. 6, 2017.

“Maris is special not only because it is the first power plant constructed by SNAP, this project is also especially meaningful because this project is wholly SNAP,” SNAP president and CEO Joseph Yu said during the event.

Maris hydro utilizes the water coming from Magat hydro that goes into the Maris re-regulating dam located downstream of Magat, before flowing into the Maris main (south) irrigation canal.

In an interview, AboitizPower president and COO Antonio Moraza said the project has applied for FIT incentives.

“It’s run of river. We’re dependent on the flows from Magat. We can’t control it so it’s like a river,” he said.

Moraza said the company has already secured endorsement from the Department of Energy (DOE) for the FIT rates.

The Certificate of Endorsement for FIT (COE-FIT) is necessary for the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to commence the processing of the facility’s Certificate of Compliance-FIT (COC-FIT).

“We need the FIT-COC from the ERC. Hopefully, when they have enough commissioners, we can move,” Moraza said.

The AboitizPower official earlier urged government to resolve the leadership vacuum at the ERC, the country’s power regulator.

“A working regulatory body balances the welfare of the paying consumers, interests of the private investors, and the government’s desire for reliable and ample power,” Moraza said.

“We are appealing to the national leadership to resolve the ERC issue as soon as possible so the commission can get back to work and act on many pending issues awaiting their decision,” he said.

The Maris hydro project was proposed by SNAP-Magat’s operations and maintenance team under the company’s business creativity and innovation program. It was then developed and implemented by the business development group and later turned over to SNAP-Magat for operation.

The project is located in Brgy. Ambatali in Ramon, Isabela, making the barangay the newest addition to SNAP-Magat’s roster of host communities.

The municipality of Ramon and province of Isabela are already host communities of SNAP-Magat by virtue of Magat Hydro, which stands on the border of Ramon, Isabela and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.