Floating solar plant mulled in Binga, Ambuklao dams

BAGUIO CITY-- The two major water reservoirs in Benguet are being eyed for the possibility of having a floating solar power plant, an executive of a private firm said on Monday.

Lawyer Mike Hosillos, SN Aboitiz Power vice president for corporate affairs, said they hope to have the same floating solar power system in Binga and Ambuklao reservoirs.

“If it is adaptable in Magat, we will probably explore the same solar floating arrangements in Binga and Ambuklao,” Hosillos said.

However, with the location of the two dams on the mountains of the Cordillera, which is higher in elevation than that of the Magat dam, the probable difference is the scale because the area is actually much smaller than Magat, he said.

Hosillos added that they need to study the availability of the sun, with both dams located on the mountains of Benguet where there are constant fog and cloudy skies, saying: “Potentially, this can be adapted in Binga.”

Last June 27, SN Aboitiz switched on a 200-kilowatt floating solar power system in Magat dam, which power generation is currently being used to electrify the operation of the Magat power plant.

It will be on a 10-month to one-year testing stage to find out its capacity to withstand strong wind and rain as well as the movement of water where it is floating. If found feasible, the company will also look at placing the same in Binga and Ambuklao.

“We can replicate this and scale this up for our country and our fellow Filipinos,” said Erramon Aboitiz, president, and chief executive officer of Aboitiz power, vowing to continue bringing innovative power solutions, as well as innovative and responsible power solutions for the country’s problems.

“This is the first non-hydro project of SNAP, that means there is more to come,” he said. (PNA)