The Department of Energy (DOE) declared a 500 MW pumped storage hydropower project as a “project on national significance” under the Executive Order (EO) 30.
DOE issued the certificate of Energy Projects of National Significance (EPNS) to Coheco Badeo Corp. (Cohecobadeo) on October 26.
The P 35-billion hydropower project will be in Kibungan, Benguet province and will source its power from the Amburayan River. It is currently in its pre development phase.
This is the seventh project the DOE has approved under the EO.
The agency recently issued a CEPNS to Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp.’s (PNOC-EC) two coal projects in Zamboanga Sibugay, which is also in its pre development stage.
Another EPNS certified project was the Atimonan One Energy Inc., which will put up the country’s first ultra supercritical coal power plant in Atimonan, Quezon province. The facility’s generating capacity is 2 x 600 MW.
The 151.2-MW Talim-wind power project of Island Wind Energy Corp was also certified as “a project of national significance.” The project is located in Talim island, Binangonan and Cardona, Rizal.
The Kalinga geothermal power project of Aragorn Power and Energy Corp. (Apec) was also declared as an energy project of national significance. The project is also in its pre development stage and can generate energy between 100 MW to 200 MW.
The first energy project to be certified under EO 30 was the Visayas-Mindanao Interconnection Project (VMIP), which involves the interconnection of the Visayas and Mindanao via Cebu and Zamboanga. It is expected to help improve the overall power supply security in the country.
Under the EO 30, concerned government agencies should be able to deliver actions on the applications for permits involving Energy Projects of National Significance under a 30-day period. If no decision is made within that period, the application is assumed approved.
To be considered for the EPNS, power generation and transmission projects must have a capital investment of at least P3.5 billion, significant contribution to the country’s economic development, significant consequential economic impact, significant potential contribution to the country’s balance of payments, significant impact on the environment, complex technical processes and engineering designs, and significant infrastructure requirements.
