Prime Infrastructure projects certified of national significance

MANILA, Philippines — Two pump storage projects of Razon-owned Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. (Prime Infra) have been named energy projects of national significance because of their potential contribution to the country’s energy security, according to the Department of Energy.

Prime Infra has received certificates of energy project of national significance (CEPNS) for the Pakil pumped storage power project in Laguna and the Wawa pumped storage power project in Rizal, allowing it to get regulatory permits and clearances faster.

Both projects are designed to meet growing energy demand by harnessing the potential of renewable energy sources to provide reliable and sustainable electricity storage, according to the firm.

“These are critical projects, essential to enable the energy transition and to enhance grid security through flexible energy generation,” Prime Infra president and CEO Guillaume Lucci said.

“As we advance through the development phases of these two projects, Prime Infra remains committed to leveraging pioneering solutions that meet current energy demands and position the Philippines to effectively tackle the challenges of a dynamic energy landscape going through a critical transition,” Lucci added.

Prime Infra noted that the DOE issues a CEPNS to projects that have a capital investment of at least P3.5 billion and have a significant contribution to economic development “through greater access to energy and energy supply security.”

The $2.57-billion Wawa pumped storage power project will have a storage capacity of 6,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per day and a generating output capacity of 600 MW, according to the infrastructure company.

“The Wawa pumped storage power project aims to support ancillary energy supply and energy storage requirements of the power grid,” Prime Infra said.

“It stands as a significant player in the energy landscape by enabling the continued dispatch of variable renewable energy as it stores excess capacity when there’s an oversupply, and dispatching the same when the supply goes back down,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Pakil pumped storage power project in Laguna will have a storage capacity of 14,000 MWh per day and a generating output capacity of 1,400 MW.

The project investment amounts to $5.03 billion and is expected to be among the largest pumped storage power plants in Asia once completed, Prime Infra said.