Sunwest Water and Electric Co. Inc. (Suweco) projects nearly 50-megawatt (MW) generation capacity spread over its nine mini-hydropower projects in the provinces of Antique and Aklan, which has an investment cost of about P9 billion.

The nine hydropower projects includes the 8-MW Villasiga 1; 9.4-MW Villasiga 2; 15-MW Main Aklan; 2.4-MW Upper Aklan West Tributary; 3-MW Lower East Aklan Tributary; 2.4-MW Middle West Tributary; 2-MW Guiamon San Ramon; 3-MW Dalanas and 2.1-MW Tibiao.

Suweco President Jose Silvestre Natividad said that the nine mini-hydropower projects are currently at different stages of development, with Villasiga 1 being at the more advanced stage.

“As of date, the 8-MW Villasiga 1 project is about 85 percent completed and is expected to start generating power with an annual 31.4-gigawatt hour capacity starting in June 2013,” he said.

The 8-MW Villasiga 1 facility, a run-of-river renewable energy type of power development located in Barangay Igsoro, Bugasong, Antique will optimize the Paliuan River to generate power. The project has a total investment cost of about P1.4 billion with a potential annual energy generation of 31.479 million kilowatt hours.

Suweco is targeting the completion of the development of the other eight hydropower projects in next five years.

“Suweco’s nine hydropower projects are necessary to help ease the power shortage currently being experienced in the Panay Island,” Gov. Exequiel Javier of Antique province said.

“The entry of these hydropower projects are expected to increase the sources of reliable, clean and cost-efficient indigenous power in the island, and hopes to displace unreliable and costly oil-based plants and barges in Panay and the Visayas,” Gov. Carlito Marques of Aklan province said.