ABOITIZ POWER Corp. on Thursday said its subsidiary recently broke ground for the 19-megawatt (MW) Bineng Combination Hydro project in La Trinidad, Benguet.
In a statement, Hedcor, Inc., which operates and manages run-of-river hydropower plants, construction of the P1.7-billion hydropower project began on Dec. 5. It is expected to be completed in June 2019.
The Bineng Combination Hydro was approved by the municipality of La Trinidad and host barangays Bineng, Alapang, and Alno earlier this year.
The project is expected to generate 62 million kilowatt hours annually.
Pendon Thompson, the indigenous peoples’ (IP) representative of the municipality, said the communities are supportive of the project.
“Hedcor has respected our rights as indigenous people despite the absence of IPRA Law (Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act) before. Since then, Hedcor hydro plants were built on trust. We fully support this Bineng Combination Hydro project which will greatly benefit our community,” he said.
Chris Sangster, AboitizPower executive director, said the company is committed to helping the IP communities “through corporate social responsibility focused on three core areas: education, enterprise development, and the environment.”
Hedcor currently has 22 hydropower plants in the provinces of Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, and Davao. It is now in the process of commissioning its 69-MW Manolo Fortich project in Bukidnon, which will increase its total capacity of 185 MW upon completion.
AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services.
