FDC Utilities Inc., the energy unit of Gotianun Group, plans to build the 26-MW Pampang hydropower project in the municipalities of Santa Fe in Nueva Vizcaya and San Nicolas in Pangasinan, Philippines. The run-of-river project will tap the Pampang River, with a low dam built to regulate the flow.
FDCUI said in a statement it would develop the small hydro project under unit FDC Renewables Corp. FDCUI is a subsidiary of the Filinvest Development Corporation.
“Filinvest recognizes the need for the country to develop [renewable energy] sources to have a balanced energy mix and attain energy security. We have been working on this project for quite a while now and we hope to fast track its completion. Such efforts are in support of the government’s constant drive towards sustainable energy development in the country,” said FDCUI President and Chief Executive Officer Juan Eugenio Roxas.
The company received a certificate of confirmation of commerciality from the Energy Department last month for the Pampang project. With the issuance of the certification, FDC Renewables can proceed with construction of the project, subject to securing the necessary permits and licenses from concerned government agencies and local government units. FDCUI plans to complete the remaining permitting requirements to proceed with project construction before the end of the year. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.
“With the government’s Build Build Build initiatives, electricity consumption in the country continues to increase. This project, among many others, intends to curb the supply gap we might experience,” Roxas said.
FDCUI says it also has solar, biomass and other hydroelectric power projects in the pipeline.
