Alternergy gets partner for Ifugao hydro project

MANILA, Philippines — Renewable energy firm Alternergy Holdings Corp. has secured a partner for the development of its run-of-river hydropower project in the municipalities of Lamut and Asipulo in Ifugao.

Alternergy said Exeter Portofino Holdings, the holding company of Sara Soliven de Guzman, is joining on the development of the run-of-river hydropower project following the signing of an investment framework agreement between the two firms.

“Exeter and Alternergy share the same commitment to sustainability and improvement of the local communities and cultural heritage. The Lamut-Asipulo hydro power project is also an opportunity for us continue and expand the work our family has started in Ifugao,” said De Guzman, who chairs Exeter.

“Our family has deep ties in Ifugao and we look forward to strengthening this together with Alternergy in harnessing renewable energy and helping uplift the lives of the Ifugaos,” she said.

The Lamut-Asipulo hydro power project will harness the flow of water from the Cawayan river to convert to clean and environment-friendly renewable power.

The project site is within the ancestral domains of the Kalanguya, Ayangan and Tuwali Indigenous Cultural Communities.

Alternergy said a memorandum of agreement with the indigenous peoples have been signed and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples en banc has issued the certification precondition.

The company said the project is in advanced stage of development and is expected to issue notice to proceed to early construction works in the coming months.

“We are happy to bring in Exeter as we create transformative partnerships in promoting clean energy and impacting the lives of the people,” Lamut-Asipulo Mini Hydro Corp. president Eduardo Martinez Miranda said.

“While the development of hydropower projects could be long-gestation, the benefits of clean and renewable power are long-term and significant,” Miranda said.

The Lamut-Asipulo hydro power project forms part of Alternergy’s goal of building 1,370 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity in the next five years.

Two of Alternergy’s run-of-river hydropower projects are currently under construction – the 4.6-MW Dupinga project in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, and the 17.4-MW Kiangan project located in Ifugao.