First Gen developing pumped-storage hydro project in Nueva Ecija

NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines — Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is developing a pumped-storage hydro project that will support its existing hydropower plant in Nueva Ecija.

This, as the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the Lopez firm a hydro service contract to develop a 120-megawatt (MW) pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in Aya, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija.

The hydro service contract gives First Gen, through First Gen Hydro Power Corp., five years to conduct pre-development stage activities – from a preliminary assessment and feasibility study up to financial closing and declaration of commerciality.

A pumped-storage facility stores and generates electricity by moving a volume of water between two reservoirs situated at different elevations (upper and lower reservoirs).

Aside from energy, pumped-storage facilities can be flexibly operated also to provide ancillary services to electricity grid for grid security and stability.

Once completed, the new Aya project will allow First Gen to store water pumped into a reservoir for use at a later time.

First Gen Hydro owns and operates the existing 132-MW Pantabangan-Masiway hydroelectric power plant project in Pantabangan.

“While renewable energy is clean and sustainable, it isn’t always available when it’s needed,” First Gen vice president Ricky Carandang said. “But with a pump storage facility like the one we want to build in Pantabangan, we will be able to store some of the energy generated by the dam and deploy it when it’s needed.”  

First Gen Hydro earlier signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), related to the development of the same Aya hydro project.

It is also pursuing other hydroelectric projects in Bukidnon, and Agusan del Norte. 

First Gen is the largest company in the country that provides only clean and renewable power. In 2016, it declared that it would not develop, finance, or operate any coal fired power plants. 

Aside from hydro, First Gen power plants run on natural gas, geothermal, wind and solar. These plants have a combined capacity of 3,492 MW at the end of 2019.