The Manila Standard Today reported that a unit of Aboitiz Power Corporation plans to increase its electricity output by 250 MWs by repairing 3 of its hydroelectric plants.

Mr Emmanuel Rubio CEO of SN Aboitiz Power said that the group would rehabilitate the 360 MW Magat in Ramon and the 100 MW Binga and 75 MW Ambuklao hydro plants in Benguet province.

Mr Rubio said that SN Aboitiz aimed to raise the capacity of the Ambuklao plant to 105 MW from 75 MW. He added that "We will also raise capacity of Binga from 100 MW to 125 MW and for Magat, we're looking at something from 90 MW to 180 MW in additional capacity."

The hydro projects are in various stages of rehabilitation but SN Aboitiz has not made a decision yet on the expansion of the Magat plant capacity.

SN Aboitiz plans to bring the generating capacity of the Ambuklao plant to 105 MW by December and complete the repair of the Binga dam by 2014. The Ambuklao power plant, meanwhile, has been shut down since 1999 after a massive earthquake struck the area.

SN Aboitiz submitted the highest bid of USD 325 million for the acquisition of the Ambuklao Binga hydro plants on November 28th 2007. The company allocated USD 280 million for the total rehabilitation cost and capital expenditure of the two hydro power plants.

The group also acquired the Magat plant from the government in 2006 for USD 530 million. SN Aboitiz is a JV between SN Power of Norway and Aboitiz Power. Aboitiz Power is a holding company for the Aboitiz group’s investments in power generation and distribution, while SN Power is a global renewable energy firm owned by Statkraft and Norfund.

Statkraft is Norway's public power utility and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy while Norfund is a leading Norwegian risk capital investor in emerging markets.

(Sourced from www.manilastandardtoday.com)