Philippines’ DOE receives 39 bids for geothermal and hydro projects

The Philippines' Department of Energy (DOE) has received a total of 31 bids for 14 potential hydropower sites and 8 bids for 2 geothermal project prospects.

Renewable Energy Management Bureau Director Mario Marasigan said the hydro sites reached a bid of 80 percent, while the geothermal sites had bids by 50 percent. He noted the next step for the DOE will be the evaluation process for the bids.

Marasigan stressed that the development cost for the project amounts to US$2.5 million to US$3 million per megawatt for the two types of resources. However, he said hydro projects are easier to build than geothermal projects.

The bidders and the areas are the following:

Hidropower

• Area 1, Mandongan 1 hydropower project, has atracted four companies: Pachydro Energy Inc., Clean and Green Energy Solutions, FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and Alternergy Hydro Partners Corp.
• Area 2, Mandongan 2 hydropower project had attracted two participants, FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and Alternergy Hydro Partners Corp.
• Area 3 in Solsona was bid for by FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and Alternergy Partners Corp.
• Area 4, the Binongan-Tineg hydro project, had received bids from FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and First Gen Mindanao Hydro-Power Corp.
• Areas 5 and 6, namely Binalbagan and Pagbahan, had no bidders.
• Area 7, the Ilog hydropower project had received bid proposals from Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp. (EDC), FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and Almana Power Corp.
• Area 8, Binalbagan 1 hydropower project has received bid from Southeast Asia and Almana Power Corp.
• Areas 9 and 10, namely Binalbagan and Binulog have received bids from Almana Power Corp.
• Area 11 had no bidders.
• Area 12, the Tubig hydropower project, was bid from Vivant Corp., FGS Renewable Energy Inc., Almana Power Corp., and Iraya Energy and Renagmec Hydro-Power Corp.
• Area 13, or the Buhid hydropower project, got three bidders: Vivant Corp., FGS Renewable Energy Inc. and Almana Power Corp.
• Area 14, the Butong Falls hydropower project, was solely bid for by Clean and Green Energy Solutions.
• Area 15, or Catilan river, has received bid from First Gen Mindanao Hydro Power Corp.
• Area 16, or Cagayan 1N, had bid proposals from Southeast Asia Mining and Power Corp., Markhan Resources Corp. and First Gen Mindanao Hydro Power Corp.
• Area 17, Agus 3, had been bid for by Mindanao Energy Corp.

Geothermal

• For the offered geothermal sites, Area 2, or Southern Leyte geothermal project, had attracted Repower Energy Development Corp., Cabalian Co. Inc. and Aboitiz Renewables Inc. The three companies submitted bids for the project.
• Amacan Geothermal, offered as Area 3, received five bids from Repower Energy Development Corp., APC Energy Resources Inc., Biliran Geothermal Inc., EDC and Emerging Power Inc.
• Areas 1 and 4, namely Acuban-Itugon and Balut Island offered under geothermal sites, had no bidders.

The areas which had not been bid out will be offered through direct negotiations with the DOE.