SN AboitizPower Corp. (SNAP)—the joint venture between SN Power of Norway and AboitizPower Corp.— is looking at building at least 300 megawatts (MW) of additional hydropower capacity in Quezon province and Nueva Vizcaya, said President and Chief Executive Emmanuel Rubio in an interview. 

The SNAP executive told reporters they are studying the viability of putting up a 150- to 180-MW hydropower project in Matuno, Nueva Vizcaya, which will have an irrigation component for about 12,000 hectares of agricultural land. 

Rubio said they have also applied with the Department of Energy (DOE) for a service contract for another hydro project in Quezon, which is proposed to have a capacity of 110 to 120 MW. The project, however, is still at its early stages. 

The company expects to complete the projects in five to seven years, although it has yet to finalize the costs for the two hydropower projects. 

Rubio also noted that the Nueva Vizcaya project would be essential to the Magat expansion program.

“The Matuno [project] is actually upstream of Magat, which will serve as a storage component. So we will be able to impound water when there is significant inflow, so we could minimize and won’t be spilling much water during the wet season in Magat. So this is something that should also get noticed by government, if they’re looking at flood prevention. This is actually something that should be pursued,” Rubio said. 

SNAP has been studying the possibility of expanding the Magat hydropower plant to 540 MW from 360 MW.

The Magat plant—which straddles Ramon, Isabela and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao—uses the same water for irrigation and is dependent on NIA’s irrigation diversion requirement. Rubio added that they were able to secure funding for the Magat expansion program and that they will start the project soon. 

“Magat has been approved by the lenders to undergo project financing and they have independent engineers to validate the condition of Magat and we passed all these,” he said.

The Magat expansion project, according to Rubio, is targeted to be completed in 2016 followed by the Nueva Vizcaya project in 2017.

“If the Magat expansion will be approved within the next six months and we get a service contract for Matuno, we’ll be very busy,” Rubio said.