Pan Pacific Renewable Power Phils. Corp. said it plans to develop the 2,000-megawatt Maton pumped storage hydro power project (Maton PSHPP) in Barangay Upper Maton and Barangay Lt. Balag, Pudtol, Apayao province with an estimated capital investment of P261.7 billion
Pan Pacific said in documents submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources the Maton PSHPP intends to build a reservoir along the Maton River, a tributary of the Apayao-Abulug River. It will be developed simultaneously with the Gened-1 hydro power project (Gened-1 HPP).
It said the project would be connected to the Luzon grid, providing a storage capacity of 20,000 megawatt-hours.
Pan Pacific, 100-percent owned by FPSP (Holdings Corp.), was awarded by the Department of Energy the right to develop the Maton hydro project through Hydropower Service contract No. 2022-02-918 on March 25, 2022.
The DOE approved the amendment of the project scheme to a pumped storage project from run-of-river on Dec. 27, 2024.
“The project will contribute to grid stability and function as an energy storage, facilitating the increased integration of variable renewable energy into the National Grid in line with the energy transition goals of the Department of Energy, specifically the Clean Energy Scenario [CES] target of achieving 50 percent renewable energy by 2040,” the company said.
The proposed Maton PSHPP is seen to provide a clean and sustainable alternative source of energy and a long-term solution to the increasing demand for power.
Pan Pacific said the project was conceptualized based on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) thrusts for energy security, low carbon future, increased investments in the energy sector and employment generation.
“With the operation of the Maton PSHPP, Pan Pacific intends to augment the foreseen power shortage in the future,” it said.
“The development of the Maton PSHPP will aid in increasing the share of hydropower in the country’s energy mix and developing new sources to achieve energy sustainability. Fuel diversification for power generation in the country by source and type will contribute in protecting consumers from contingencies such as fuel scarcity, price fluctuations, and changes in regulatory practices that can drive up the cost of fuels,” Pan Pacific said.
