SNAP shifts to broader RE, adding solar, battery projects to hydro portfolio
SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP) is ramping up its efforts to build more renewable energy (RE) projects beyond hydropower assets.
In an ambush interview, SNAP President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joseph Yu said that there are more projects in the pipeline, which hold less than 300 megawatts (MW) of capacity and will be developed within the next few years.
“We’re executing RE projects [such as] Magat battery energy storage system (BESS). We’re also in the middle of building a 40-MW BESS. Then we have another 100 to 200 MW more. We’re trying to expedite these to get the final investment decision,” he told reporters.
Earlier this year, SNAP broke ground with Benguet’s first BESS facility, located at Binga hydroelectric power plant.
This construction follows the 24-MW Magat BESS and ongoing 16-MW Magat BESS phase two.
Once developed, SNAP anticipates the company’s total storage capacity to reach 80 MW by 2026.
“The 100 to 200 MW [worth of projects] are within like probably, the next 12 to 14 months. So they’re not far off… The goal is to get the next plant cheaper than the previous one.”
Aside from building BESS and utilizing its hydropower assets, Yu reaffirmed that SNAP is preparing for the rollout of more solar plants.
“We’re very eager to build out our next leg. We envisioned not being just a hydro player. So batteries are now taking shape. We still have hydro projects in the works, right? But the third leg is solar plants, and we intend to help the industry along,” he said.
While he has yet to disclose the specified timeline and location of these projects, Yu confirmed that the company has several solar projects to be developed, with some ground-mounted solar technologies being looked into.
In 2019, SNAP energized its 200-kilowatt (kW) pilot floating solar project in Isabela.
Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) revealed the list of qualified bidders for the fourth round of the Green Energy Auction (GEA-4), which bids out onshore wind, solar power, and energy storage system (ESS) projects.
Among the 142 bidders listed, SNAP-Magat Inc. has been included in the selected developers, as it would bid out one project to the auction.