Prime Infra bags 2-GW hydro bid

Tycoon Enrique K. Razon Jr.-led Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. (Prime Infra) has secured a significant share of the 6.2-gigawatt (GW) capacity offered in the Department of Energy’s (DoE) third Green Energy Auction (GEA).

Prime Infra president and CEO Guillaume Lucci said the auction will help stabilize power prices in the long run.

In a Notice of Award issued Monday, the DoE named Prime Infra’s 600-megawatt (MW) Wawa and 1,400-MW Pakil pumped storage hydro projects as potential winning bidders.

“The DoE should be commended for what is an ambitious and critical program to enable the transition to green energy, maximizing indigenous energy, bringing the country a step closer to decarbonizing the grid, and to some extent, and more importantly, enabling energy security and stabilizing the cost of generation,” Lucci said.

Integrated facility

The Wawa project in Rizal will provide 6,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage per day and 600 MW of flexible capacity, utilizing variable-speed pump turbines. It is integrated with the Upper Wawa Dam, part of Prime Infra’s bulk water supply project.

The Pakil project in Laguna will provide 14,000 MWh of daily storage and 1,400 MW of capacity. Both are expected to be operational by 2030.

Prime Infra has issued Notices to Proceed for the construction of both projects. The Wawa NTP includes the powerhouse cavern and grid link to NGCP’s 230kV network. Its first phase is nearly complete.

The Pakil NTP formalizes the complete engineering and construction contract, including the upper reservoir and 500kV grid connection.

The DOE and Green Lane endorsements from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Board of Investments have granted both projects’ Certificates of Energy Project of National Significance.