Angat hydropower plant : GE wins rehabilitation contract for Filipino power project

GE Renewable Energy secured a rehabilitation contract from the Angat Hydropower Corporation for the 218MW Angat hydropower plant in the Philippines.

The 53-year-old Angat hydroelectric power plant was built along the Angat River in San Lorenzo in the Bulacan province about 58 km northeast of Metro Manila.

As per the contract, GE Renewable Energy will supply a couple of new 50MW Francis turbines, four new 50MW generators and also three new upgraded auxiliary turbines and generators for the Angat hydropower plant.

Rehabilitation of the Filipino power plant is expected to be completed in 2023 to increase its power output by nearly 4% to take its capacity to 226.6 MW. The upgraded Angat hydropower plant is expected to become an additional and reliable source of electricity in the Philippines and cover the water needs for the population.

GE Renewable Energy said that its hydro teams across Europe and the Americas will handle the deliveries of the equipment and will take care of the assessment of the penstock, the powerhouse, and a new control system, which will also be delivered to the hydropower facility.

A local partner Desco will handle the installation and commissioning of the Angat hydropower facility alongside GE Renewable Energy.

The Angat hydropower plant in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of GENERAL ELECTRIC.

According to GE Renewable Energy, during the rehabilitation process, utmost care will be taken to limit a power outage of the plant as much as possible, which is a mandatory condition for the Angat Hydropower Corporation as the dam plays a strategic role for the Philipines.

Pascal Radue – President and CEO of GE Hydro Solutions said: “I am delighted to start this collaboration with Angat Hydropower Corporation and support the country upgrading its hydropower assets.

“This new project confirms the presence of GE Renewable Energy in the Philippines, where the energy demand increases by ~7% annually and relies on hydropower to meet the demand. The country is also enjoying a strong economic growth. I am proud that GE Renewable Energy is part of this project that will provide the population with clean energy for many years.”

The Filipino hydropower plant, which started power generation in 1967, feeds the Luzon Grid with the renewable energy.

The associated Angat dam is said to meet more than 90% of potable water needs of Metro Manila while providing irrigation support to about 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.

This is the first major rehabilitation program since the facility’s commissioning, said the GE unit.