Repower Energy commissions 5.8-MW hydropower plant in Quezon

By Alena Mae S. Flores

REPOWER Energy Development Corp. said Monday it successfully commissioned its 5.8-megawatt Tibag run-ofriver hydropower plant in Mauban, Quezon.

“We are pleased to mark the successful commissioning of our newest hydropower plant as this is another milestone for us in expanding our footprint in the renewable energy sector,” REDC president Eric Peter Roxas said.

“The Tibag hydropower plant will be a key asset in our goal towards uplifting the living standards of rural and under electrified communities through clean, renewable energy,” he said.

REDC expects the new hydro facility to contribute P215 million in earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization annually.

The company said the plant was expected to be a significant driver to REDC’s year-on-year growth in net income for the year. The Tibag hydropower plant’s annual energy generation will be over 40 giga- watt-hours, equivalent to the generation of a 40-MW solar farm or a 20-MW wind farm.

Meanwhile, REDC said it ensured that the 15-kilometer access roads and a bridge it built for the Tibag hydropower plant would be used by the indigenous communities living in the area.

This will help the Dumagat tribe bring copra, fruits and livestock to the market. They can also bring their children to school safely compared to crossing the river by raft.

“Our commitment to sustainability is not just about clean energy nor limiting the possible adverse impact of our operations to stakeholders. It also extends to ensuring that communities will get to benefit from the farm to market roads we have built,” Roxas said.

The facility is the seventh hydro project of REDC. It will be followed by the 1.4-MW Lower Labayat plant, which will come online as soon as transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines energizes the transmission line from the powerhouse in the next few weeks.

Grab vows to create 500,000 jobs in PH despite regional restructuring

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GRAB Philippines said Monday the regional restructuring exercise of its parent firm has no impact on its commitment to the government to provide livelihood opportunities to 500,000 Filipinos.

“The Philippines has always been an important market for Grab. We remain steadfast in our promise to create 500,000 livelihood opportunities in the Philippines and will continue to make progress on this by creating meaningful opportunities for everyday Filipinos and small businesses to earn a livelihood on our platform, whether as a driver-partner, delivery partner, or merchant partner,” ” Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera-Cruz said.

“Grab is committed to equipping them with tools, training, and technology to be more productive,” she said.

The company said that since it was launched in the Philippines in 2012, the platform had created income opportunities for millions of micro- entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises.

Grab co-founder and chief executive Anthony Tan in his recent courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., expressed Grab’s intention to generate 500,000 livelihood opportunities for Filipinos.

“The restructuring exercise neither changes our investment commitment to the government, nor does it affect our ability to ably serve Filipinos. We are accelerating our efforts to ensure that this will come to fruition, as we unlock further economic empowerment through our robust ecosystem,” Vera Cruz said.

Tan recently announced in a letter that Grab is letting go of 1,000 of employees, also called Grabbers, across the different markets in Southeast Asia to combine its scale with agile execution and cost leadership. This, in turn, allows Grab to sustainably offer even more affordable services and serve its drivers and merchant partners better.