SUWECO to put up mini-hydro plants in Panay Island

MANILA, Philippines - Sunwest Water and Electric Co. Inc. (Suweco), an affiliate of the Sunwest Group of Companies, announced plans yesterday to help ease the power shortage in Panay Island with the construction of nine mini-hydropower projects in Antique and Aklan.

Suweco president Jose Silvestre Natividad said the nine power projects would have nearly 50-megawatt (MW) in generation capacity.

The mini hydropower projects are the Bugasong, Antique eight-MW (Villasiga1) and 9.4-MW (Villasiga2); Libacao, Aklan 15-MW (Main Aklan); 2.4-MW (Upper Aklan West Tributary); three-MW (Lower East Aklan Tributary); 2.4-MW (Middle West Tributary); Laua-an Antique two-MW (Guiamon San Ramon); Barbasa, Antique three-MW (Dalanas); and Tibiao, Antique 2.1-MW (Tibiao).

He said the hydropower projects are currently at different stages of development with the Bugasong, Antique eight-MW (Villasiga1) being the most advanced in terms of development.  He disclosed that as of date, the Villasiga1 project is already about 85 percent completed and is expected to start generating power with an annual 31.4-Gwh capacity starting in June 2013.

The eight-MW Villasiga hydropower project is a run-of-river renewable energy type of power development located in Igsoro, Bugasong, Antique. Natividad said this plant would optimize the potential use of the main Paliuan River to generate power.

The Villasiga project has a total investment cost of about P1.4 billion with a potential annual energy generation of 31,479,070 kwh.

Suweco is targeting the completion of the development of the eight other hydropower projects with the next five years.

Incorporated in 2005, Suweco aims to a major supplier of clean renewable energy particularly in the rural areas that could not be reached by the national grid.

Suweco has currently a project portfolio of 59 projects at different stages of development.  These 59 projects are expected to generate a total capacity of around 280 MW in the next 10 years, the company also said.