Lopez-owned First Gen Corp. will prioritize the construction of its 8-megawatt (MW) Bubunawan hydro power project, one of the five hydro facilities it plans to put up in Mindanao.
“We are prioritizing Bubunawan. We hope to start construction by second half of next year,” First Gen President Francis Giles Puno said.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a certificate of commerciality to First Gen’s hydro projects. The other four include the eight-MW Tumalaong, 20-MW Tagoloan project, 14-MW Cabadbaran hydropower plant and 30-MW Puyo plant.
Giles said the construction of hydro power plants takes longer than the construction of other renewable-energy facilities. “But the challenge is how do you construct it. It is really a challenging construction. Roads, tunnels, I think it requires an eight-kilometer tunnel.”
Nonetheless, Giles said, the company is “in the position that we can start construction next year. It takes about 24 months.”
The Bubunawan hydro project costs $100 million.
First Gen is the leading clean and renewable-energy company in the Philippines. Its hydro projects are housed under First Gen Mindanao Hydro Power Corp.