COHECO Badeo Corporation has proposed a 500-megawatt (MW) pumped-storage hydroelectric power project to be located in Barangay Badeo, Kibungan, Benguet. The project is expected to boost both grid reliability as well as renewable energy integration across the Northern Luzon region.

Formally titled as the Kibungan Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Project (PSHEPP), the proposal details the development of a pumped-storage facility designed to store electricity and generate power during periods of high demand. The project’s stated capacity places it amongst the largest storage-focused power developments currently proposed in northern Luzon.

Pumped-storage hydro projects function by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations. Electricity is used to pump water to an upper reservoir during periods of low demand, and the stored water is later released through turbines to generate electricity when demand rises. This allows the entire facility to function as a form of large-scale energy storage.

According to their website, the Kibungan PSHEPP is intended to store excess electricity and help support grid stability, especially as more variable renewable energy sources are added to the power mix. The project is presented as a storage-focused facility rather than a generation plant.

The project has been acknowledged by the Department of Energy’s renewable and energy storage project pipeline, specifically its inclusion under the Green Energy Auction Program, where COHECO Badeo Corporation confirmed acceptance of the project award for the 500-MW facility.

A notice of public scoping has been issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB). The public scoping activity, scheduled in Kibungan, Benguet, forms part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process and is intended to gather initial inputs from stakeholders before the preparation of a full environmental impact study.

Public scoping is an early step in the project permitting process and does not guarantee approval. It merely provides a stable venue for affected communities, local government units, and other stakeholders to participate in defining the scope of environmental studies to be done.

COHECO Badeo Corporation is a Filipino- Korean clean energy firm founded by Korean national Larry (Howon) Kim. The company develops renewable energy projects using run-of-river technology, with a particular focus on minimizing environmental impact from construction until operation of its initiatives. 

With large-scale energy storage projects becoming increasingly critical to be paired alongside renewable energy expansion, how might pumped-storage developments like this shape future efforts to manage power supply balance in the Philippines?

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