ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider First Gen to develop 120-MW Nueva Ecija pumped-storage facility

First Gen to develop 120-MW Nueva Ecija pumped-storage facility

Published Jul 6, 2026 04:09 pm
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the First Gen group to proceed with the development, construction, and operation of the Aya Pumped-Storage Hydro facility in Nueva Ecija. The project aims to generate 120 megawatts of renewable energy and support farmland irrigation requirements. The MOA was signed by NIA officials (seated L to R) Engineers Ronaldo Salazar, and Alvin Manuel of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems; Deputy Administrator Robert Victor Seares, Jr.; Senior Deputy Administrator Engr. Robert Suguitan; and Administrator Engr. Eddie Guillen; with First Gen Senior Vice President Dennis Michael Gonzales and Assistant Vice President Ronaldo Sabella; and witnessed by the First Gen Hydro team (standing)
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the First Gen group to proceed with the development, construction, and operation of the Aya Pumped-Storage Hydro facility in Nueva Ecija. The project aims to generate 120 megawatts of renewable energy and support farmland irrigation requirements. The MOA was signed by NIA officials (seated L to R) Engineers Ronaldo Salazar, and Alvin Manuel of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems; Deputy Administrator Robert Victor Seares, Jr.; Senior Deputy Administrator Engr. Robert Suguitan; and Administrator Engr. Eddie Guillen; with First Gen Senior Vice President Dennis Michael Gonzales and Assistant Vice President Ronaldo Sabella; and witnessed by the First Gen Hydro team (standing)

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. (First Gen) has secured the exclusive right to develop, construct, and operate a new 120-megawatt (MW) pumped-storage hydropower facility in Nueva Ecija province, boosting the country’s clean energy pipeline.

In a statement on Monday, July 6, First Gen announced that it signed a landmark 25-year memorandum of agreement (MOA) with state-run National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for the development of the Aya pumped-storage project in Pantabangan town.

The project will utilize the existing Aya and Masiway reservoirs to cycle and store water to generate energy. To store energy, the facility pumps water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir, later releasing it back down to drive an underground power plant that provides crucial ancillary services to the national grid.

The strategic addition comes as the country aggressively scales up its renewable energy (RE) capacity to meet growing demand while maintaining grid stability.

Positioned as a flagship venture for First Gen, the Aya pumped-storage facility is designed to maximize the utilization of two other First Gen-owned hydropower assets within the same complex—the 132-MW Pantabangan-Masiway plant and 165-MW Casecnan plant.

First Gen aims to commercially operate the facility by 2030, as the development will enhance the overall efficiency of its existing clean energy portfolio in Nueva Ecija.

Pumped-storage facilities act as giant water-based batteries, and they can rapidly inject power during peak hours and absorb excess electricity from the grid during off-peak periods.

“More facilities with storage and highly flexible operating parameters are key to stabilize the electricity grid, in terms of addressing load variation and shifting energy supply to support evening peak demand,” First Gen Senior Vice-President Dennis Michael Gonzales said.

“We reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing sustainable development, strengthening energy security, and maximizing the benefits of our water resources for future generations through the development of the Aya pumped-storage project,” he added. - Gabriell Christel Galang

Related Tags

National Irrigation Administration (NIA) First Gen Corporation
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.