Alsons taps local EPC contractor for hydropower project

Alsons Power of the Alcantara group has tapped Filipino firm Sta. Clara International Corporation as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor of its 15-megawatt Siguil hydropower project in Sarangani province.

The 13.7-billion hydropower facility is targeted to be on stream by 2020 based. Start of project construction is scheduled soon.

The EPC agreement was sealed between Alsons Power Group chief executive Tirso G. Santillan and Sta. Clara International Chairman and Managing Director Nicandro G. Linao. The cost of the contract was not revealed to the media.

The Alcantara group has forthrightly indicated that the Siguil project will just be the firm’s kick-off venture into hydropower development.

The company has cast a longer project development trajectory that calls for up to 200MW installations in the hydropower technology sphere.

“Alsons Power has identified and intends to develop specific sites in Mindanao and Negros Occidental with a hydro potential totaling around 200MW,” the company has emphasized.

The Siguil run-of-river hydro project will be sited in Maasim, Sarangani – and its capacity will be sold to interested off-takers (capacity buyers) via power supply deals.

Despite the extension of the feedin-tariff (FIT) incentive for hydro technology, the project-sponsor firm indicated that it prefers underwriting contracts for its generated electricity.

Aside from this hydropower venture, the Alcantara group is also pushing to completion the second unit of its Sarangani coal-fired power plant that will be yielding additional 105MW capacity for Mindanao grid.