SNAP inks MOU with NIA for Alimit project

MANILA, Philippines — SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP), a joint venture between Aboitiz Power Corp. and Norwegian firm Scatec, will look at the water management potential of the Alimit multipurpose project in Ifugao province in partnership with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

SNAP has inked a memorandum of understanding with NIA to conduct a feasibility study for the project, which will continue the company’s initial feasibility study for Alimit.

“We are pleased to have NIA as our partner as we explore the possibility of moving forward with Alimit as a multipurpose facility,” SNAP president and CEO Joseph Yu said.

“Our partnership brings together knowledge, expertise, resources, and innovation from our respective sectors, and we look forward to studying and designing a project that addresses multiple challenges and has the potential to benefit not only the provinces of Ifugao and Isabela, but the region as well,” Yu said.

SNAP said the potential addition of an irrigation component would address both food and energy security for the country.

The Alimit project is proposed to be located along the Alimit river in Ifugao province, a major tributary of the Magat dam.

The multipurpose Magat dam, owned and operated by NIA, is a major source of irrigation and power in Luzon.

“NIA and SNAP have long been partners in the operation of the largest multipurpose dam in the country, the Magat dam,” NIA acting administrator Eduardo Guillen said.

Through the MOU, Guillen said NIA and SNAP would be able to jointly cooperate in studying the feasibility of the Alimit multipurpose dam for irrigation, as well as flood reduction in the province of Cagayan, generation of additional power for the Luzon grid, and additional benefits for agriculture, aquaculture, and general industry development.

SNAP has been expanding its project pipeline to include complementary technologies such as battery energy storage (BESS).

Last year, the renewable energy company broke ground on the 24-megawatt (MW) Magat BESS project co-located in the Magat hydropower complex in Ramon, Isabela.

Construction was completed in July and commercial operation is targeted to begin in the first half of 2024.

SNAP owns and operates the 112.5-MW Ambuklao and 140-MW Binga hydroelectric power plants in Benguet, the Magat hydroelectric power plant which has a nameplate capacity of 360 MW and maximum capacity of 388 MW on the border of Isabela and Ifugao, and the 8.5-MW Maris hydro in Isabela.

The non-power components, such as dams, reservoirs, and spillways are owned, managed, and operated by the government.