REDC, Frabelle break ground on mini-hydropower plant
Repower Energy Development Corporation (REDC), the mini-hydropower business of local investment holding company Pure Energy Holdings Corporation (PEHC), broke ground for a run-of-river hydropower plant project in Upper Labayat, Quezon Province in partnership with the Frabelle and TSP Marine Group. The latter is a food and fishing conglomerate which recently ventured into the renewables business through a consortium with Markham Resources to build mini-hydroelectric plants that will cover Luzon and other areas in Mindanao.
“This is one of the projects that we’re building to benefit the local community as we will provide clean, reliable, and sustainable energy. This project will directly address the province’s overdependence on coal power plants as its primary energy source,” Dexter Y. Tiu chief executive of REDC said.
The high-pressure hydropower plant station will use water from the Upper Labayat river stream and produce power for the local community. The plant is scheduled to begin its operations in the fourth quarter of 2018, after a construction period of about two years.
Frabelle Group president, Francisco Tiu Laurel said the project will not only provide power needs in the local community but can one day supply their own factories and shipyards.
“The hydropower project once constructed, will generate more energy than our own factory requirements and at the same time stabilize the energy needs of the communities here,” he said referring to the municipality of Real, Quezon where the project is located.
The hydro facility will be built in the upper cascade of the Labayat River, while the power station itself will be builtat Barangay Maragondon, Municipality of Real, Quezon. With an installed capacity of 3 megawatts (MW), the power plant will generateover16 gigawatt (GWh) of clean and renewable energy annually, which is equivalent to the consumption of around 20,000 households. This makes the Upper Labayat mini-hydropower plant one of the most efficient power plants constructed by REDC.
The Upper Labayat hydropower plant’s renewable power output through a 2.5-kilometer transmission line is expected to qualify for Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) incentives and get dispatched in the electricity spot market at P5.90 per kilowatt-hour under the FiT rate for hydro power.
The project enjoys a high degree of local acceptance and is based on an environment-friendly technology employed by REDC. The company utilizes state-of-the-art European technology that makes run-of-river hydroelectric power plants as alternative to traditional dam facilities, ensuring lesser impact on freshwater dependency, carbon dioxide emission, and aquatic ecosystem.
“Environmental mitigation measures such as revitalization of river
“While the likelihood of a major spill on a coral reef or seagrass meadow is low, we are now beginning to understand the likely consequences.” banks, preservation of grassland along the river and other steps to ensure environmental sustainability around the domain will be taken into account in the construction of the power plant,” Dexter Y. Tiu said.
Upon completion, the power plant is expected to last for 100 years and will be the first mini-hydropower project in Quezon province. REDC currently has five more mini-hydropower projects in Quezon that are in the pipeline, and will break ground on its second Quezon project next month.
Researchers hope the results will send a message to coal shipping companies in Australia and across the world. (PNA/Xinhua)