Aboitiz unit begins building Bineng hydro plant

ABOITIZPOWER Corp. said Thursday that its unit Hedcor, Inc. had broken ground on its 19- megawatt ( MW) Bineng Combination Hydro plant in La Trinidad in Benguet.

Once the P1.7- billion hydro facility is completed in June 2019, it is expected to generate 62 million kilowatt hours (kWh) annually. The project is also seen to bolster La Trinidad’s status as a hydropower host community.

Hedcor broke ground on the project on December 5. The Municipality of La Trinidad and host barangays Bineng, Alapang, and Alno approved the Bineng combination hydro project earlier this year.

According to Chris Sangster, AboitizPower executive director, the project was in line with the firm’s commitment to foster inclusive growth.

“Along with the construction of the plant is the benefit to the community. We will live up to be your neighbor of choice. We commit to help through our corporate social responsibility focused on three core areas: education, enterprise development, and the environment,” Sangster said.

Hedcor is AboitizPower’s subsidiary which operates and manages run- of- river hydropower plants all over the Philippines. It currently runs 22 hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 185 MW located in the Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, and Davao to provide customers with ample and reliable supply of clean and renewable energy (RE).

Hedcor is currently commissioning its 69- MW Manolo Fortich project in Bukidnon. Once completed, this plant would further boost Hedcor’s total capacity.

AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services. Since its incorporation in 1998, it has invested in both renewable and non- renewable generation plants.

Shares of AboitizPower rose P1.10 or 2.78 percent to close at P40.70 on Thursday.