First Gen Hydro Inititates Upgrade Program for Pantabangan Hydro Plant
February 14, 2008

First Gen Hydro Power Corporation (First Gen Hydro), a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Gen Corporation, commissioned VA Tech Hydro (GmbH) to undertake major refurbishment and upgrade works for the Pantabangan Hydro Electric Power Plant. Austria-based VA Tech Hydro is a leading global supplier of turnkey electro-mechanical equipment for hydro power plants, It is also engaged in consstruction of new hydroelectric power stations and rehabilitation and upgrade of existing plants.

Completed in 1977, the 100MW two-unit Pantabangan Power Plant has been in service for more than 30 years without having undergone a major overhaul. The refurbishment and upgrade project will extend the life of the power plant by an additional 25 years, and improve plant efficiency and performance by increasing capacity by approximately 18MW. The project involves refurbishing the machines one year apart, with the first unit scheduled between July and December 2009, and the second unit expected to be completed by December 2010.

The Pantabangan Power Plant is the first significant power plant of the National Power Corporation (NPC) sold by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM). It is also the first among NPC's privatized aassets to undergo major refurbishment and upgrade.

The refurbishment and upgrade project signals the implementation of the initial phase of First Gen Hydro's expansion program, which includes investing in additional units for each of the Pantabangan and Masiway Hydroelectric Power Plants to increase their combined capacity by 78MW. The Pantabangan-Masiway expansion program is in line with First Gen's vision to be a world-class energy provider, and to provide clean and reliable energy for the Philippines.


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