Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is advancing more than 200 megawatts (MW) of new hydropower capacity as it prepares to build one pumped-storage project and three run-of-river (ROR) plants.

“There’s Aya pumped-storage hydro, and then we have around three ROR plants in Mindanao. That’s also more than 100 [megawatts] as well. So, there’s roughly a little over 200 MW in the pipeline,” First Gen Senior Vice President Dennis Gonzales told reporters on the sidelines of the 3rd Philippine Hydro Summit and Exhibition.

According to Gonzales, the projects are now in the permitting stage. The next development phases, he added, will depend on permitting timelines and coordination with national agencies. FGen expects construction to start once clearances and right-of-way requirements are completed.

The 100-MW Aya pumped-storage project, included in the list of Department of Energy (DOE) awarded projects last March, continues to move forward. FGen is coordinating with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to secure the necessary permits, Gonzales said.

“Aya is a three-year construction period. So we’re still getting the permit with NIA because there are facilities that are owned by the agency that we will use.” The project has an estimated cost of USD 200 million, or about PHP 11.7 billion.

Beyond Aya, First Gen is preparing three additional ROR projects in Mindanao:

• 42-MW Puyo
  
• 32-MW Bubunawan
  
• 39-MW San Isidro

Combined, the plants bring 213 MW of new capacity once they enter full operation. These projects are moving through early-stage development with resource studies and detailed engineering work underway.

According to Gonzales, the company’s hydropower pipeline supports First Gen’s target of expanding its portfolio to 13 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, nine GW of which will come from renewable energy. He added that most of First Gen’s hydro developments utilize ROR systems, which align with the firm’s long-term RE strategy.

First Gen currently operates more than 300 MW of hydropower across the Pantabangan-Masiway, Casecnan, and Agusan plants, which represents about 8% of the country’s total hydro generation. 

As the company prepares its next round of projects, what hydropower developments do you think are most critical for improving energy supply in the country?

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