Napocor inaugurates RP’s first hybrid power plant

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) inaugurates today the country’s first wind/diesel hybrid power plant, a 180-kilowatt (kw) facility in the northernmost Batanes group of islands.

Built at a cost of P56 million, Napocor said the landmark power facility will provide 24-hour electricity to the entire Batan island for the first time.

Batanes consists of 10 small islands of which only three (Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat) are inhabited.

The hybrid project will make use of three wind turbine generators with a capacity of 60 kw each and two diesel generators each with a capacity of 500 kw. The wind turbines were built on top of Mt. Sumhao, while the diesel generators were put up beside Napocor’s existing 1.25-megawatt diesel power plant in the capital town of Basco.

The project is a joint initiative of the Department of Energy, Napocor, the Department of Science and Technology, and the provincial government of Batanes.

Napocor, which provided the P8.48-million counterpart fund for the project, will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project and providing the plant’s fuel supply and other technical support that will be needed to ensure its efficient operations.

Apart from ensuring round-the-clock electricity service to the island, the wind/diesel power plant is expected to generate yearly savings of P2.5 million in fuel expenditures for Napocor.

Government has been pursuing the development of new and renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and biomass to boost the country’s energy self-sufficiency level and at the same time protect the environment from the effects of traditional fossil fuels like oil and coal.

Since the archipelago straddles the fringes of the Asia Pacific monsoon belt, the Philippines has numerous feasible sites for wind energy development, including Ilocos Norte, Batanes, Isabela, Aurora and Romblon, among others.