UN certifies Aboitiz hydroelectric plants

Two hydroelectric power plants owned by SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet (SNAP-Benguet), a unit of the Aboitiz group, have been registered as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. CDM projects allow developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits which may be traded and sold, as mandated by the Kyoto Protocol. Each CER credit is equivalent to one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2). Together, the Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric power plants will producer an average of 180,000 CERs per year, equivalent to the CO2 produced by 80,000 cars. “This is part of our contribution to the international response to climate change and to promote hydroelectric power projects as a major source of renewable energy for the country," said SNAP-Benguet president and chief executive officer Emmanuel V. Rubio. The Ambuklao hydroelectric power plant in Bokod, Benguet was built in 1956 and is the first of the country’s largest hydroelectric plants with an original installed capacity of 75 megawatts (MW). Operations were suspended in 1999 because of siltation and other problems caused by the 1990 earthquake in Benguet. After the plant was privatized in 2008, SNAP-Benguet began rehabilitating the plant to increase its capacity to 105 MW. The plant’s three turbines went on-line in June with the plant expected to be fully operational by the end of 2011. Renovations on the Binga power plant in Itogon, Benguet are ongoing. The renovations will upgrade the plant capacity from 100 MW to 120 MW, one unit at a time within three years. SNAP-Benguet is a joint venture between Norway’s SN Power and Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC), the Aboitiz Group’s holding company for investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services. SN Power is a commercial investor and hydropower project developer that solely operates in emerging markets. — BC/VS, GMA News