SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Power Corp. (NPC) for the adoption of a 1,000-hectare watershed area within a 2.5-kilometer radius from the Ambuklao and Binga reservoirs in Benguet.
Signing ceremonies were conducted earlier this month led by Joseph Yu, SNAP president and chief executive officer and Fernando Martin Roxas, NPC president and chief executive officer.
SNAP and NPC have been partners in watershed and environmental initiatives since the signing of a technical cooperation agreement in 2010.
NPC turned over ownership and operation of the 112.5 megawatt Ambuklao and 140-MW Binga hydroelectric power facilities to SNAP in 2008 under the government’s privatization program although the dams and reservoirs remain under NPC’s ownership and management.
Under the recently signed MOA, the adoption of the watershed area will harmonize SNAP’s watershed management programs to ensure greater conservation and protection of the Upper Agno River Watershed.
The agreement also covers the preservation of the 2.5-km area around the Ambuklao and Binga reservoirs and includes forest fire protection, rehabilitation and restoration activities, agro-forestry and riverbank stabilization.
The NPC also said the agreement is aligned with its Energy Sector Carbon Sequestration Initiative for the rapid rehabilitation of open and depleted areas in its watersheds.
Other SNAP power generation facilities include the 388-MW facility located on the border of Isabela and Ifugao and the 8.5-MW Maris in Isabela which are both hydroelectric as well as the 200-kilowatt floating solar, also in Isabela.
SNAP is also developing a 24-MW battery energy storage system in Isabela expected to be operational by the first half of 2024.
