At A Glance
- Upon completion, the multipurpose hydro facility will become a major source of power supply for Luzon grid; and will also serve as irrigation anchor for farmers in Northern Luzon.
Government-run National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP group had sealed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will explore ‘water management’ component of the Alimit hydro project – primarily those that go beyond electricity generation, such as irrigation and flood control.
SNAP, which is a joint venture firm between Norwegian firm Scatec and Filipino company Aboitiz Power, emphasized that the targeted feasibility study will focus on the “irrigation component that would address both food and energy security for the country. “
The deal was signed on September 14 this year between SNAP President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Yu and NIA Acting Administrator Eduardo Eddie Guillen.
Yu noted that NIA’s collaboration with SNAP does not just delve with power and water management facets of the project; but more importantly, the tie-up touches on enhancement of “knowledge, expertise, resources, and innovation from our respective sectors.”
Based on the prescription of the MOU, he stressed that “we look forward to studying and designing a project that addresses multiple challenges and has the potential to benefit not only the provinces of Ifugao and Isabela, but the region as well.”
The targeted power capacity of the Alimit multipurpose hydropower venture would hover at 380 megawatts; and the other core usage of the facility will be aiding farmers on their irrigation needs.
The siting of the Alimit project will be within Ifugao province, which is a tributary of the Magat dam that is under the ownership and is also operated by the NIA.
Upon completion, the multipurpose hydro facility will become a major source of power supply for Luzon grid; and will also serve as irrigation anchor for farmers in Northern Luzon.
Guillen, for his part, conveyed that “NIA and SNAP will be able to jointly cooperate in studying the feasibility of the Alimit multipurpose dam for irrigation, flood reduction in the province of Cagayan, generation of additional power for the Luzon grid, and additional benefits for agriculture, aquaculture, and general industry development.”
As designed, one key component of the Alimit project would be a 24-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) installation as technology complement to the hydropower facility.
From last year’s groundbreaking of the BESS project, the completion of construction was in July this year; while commercial operations will be first half of 2024.