With the new normal caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the things that remained constant was the country’s need for electricity. Serving as the backbone that powers the communities’ various functions, Hedcor, the run-of-river hydro arm of AboitizPower, found a bigger responsibility in keeping the lights on.
In 2020, Hedcor recorded an Annual Generation of 956,514,413 kWh (kilowatt hours), or 956 GWh (Gigawatt hours). This is able to power around 400,000 households across the country, year-round.
Hedcor also recorded its lowest Weighted Unplanned Outage Factor (WUOF) at 0.73 percent for 2020, Hedcor’s best record in the past five years. This emphasizes the steady improvement of Hedcor’s plant reliability as it recorded the lowest number of unexpected shutdowns of its hydropower units in recent memory.
“For 2020, we really utilized the ‘Doing more with less’ mindset,” shared Rey Rafael, Assistant Vice President for Operations in Luzon.
“While we had to work with a leaner workforce in facility quarantine, we were able to work around the limitations through proper communication, maximization of digital platforms, and simplification of processes,” Rafael added.
This is in line with Hedcor’s operations and maintenance teams (O&M) opting to divide their workforce, placing teams on alternating 14-day facility quarantine, as a precautionary measure to avoid possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Beyond continuously meeting the energy needs of the community, the pandemic has not stopped Hedcor from innovating and meeting global standards.
Just recently, Luzon Hydro Corp. located in Ilocos Sur, as well as the Davao-based Hedcor Sibulan, Inc. and Hedcor Tudaya, Inc. were recertified for ISO 22301:2012 Business Continuity Management System.
The aforementioned, along with Hedcor, Inc., and Hedcor Sabangan, Inc. in Mt. Province were also recertified for ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System, ISO 9001:2018 Quality Management System and ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System.
On top of this, Hedcor also took a big step towards digital operations by inaugurating its first-ever Regional Control Center in Southern Mindanao.
This control center is able to connect Hedcor’s five hydro facilities in Davao City and four hydro facilities in Davao del Sur, allowing all nine plants in Southern Mindanao to be operated remotely in a single control room.
“For 2021, the main objective is an even safer, more reliable and highly available operations,” shared Leo Lungay, Assistant Vice President for Operations in Mindanao.
“With lessons from 2020 and the previous years under our belt, we look forward to not only ‘keeping the lights on’, but to also thrive and excel in doing so amid any possible adversities,” Lungay added.
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About Hedcor
Hedcor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AboitizPower. It specializes in generating renewable energy from run-of-river hydropower systems.
Today, Hedcor manages and operates 22 hydropower plants located in Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, Benguet, Davao, and Bukidnon. They continue to supply the country with 278 MW of clean and renewable energy.
With 42 years of experience, Hedcor is one of the leading run-of-river hydropower operators in the Philippines.
About AboitizPower
AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services. It advances business and communities by providing reliable and ample power supply at a reasonable and competitive price, and with the least adverse effects on the environment and host communities.
The company is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country. It is a major producer of Cleanergy, its brand for clean and renewable energy with several hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar power generation facilities. It also has thermal power plants in its generation portfolio to support the baseload and peak energy demands of the country.
The company also owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including the second and third largest private utilities in the country.
In the next 10 years, AboitizPower looks to significantly expand its Cleanergy portfolio, in support of the government’s efforts to promote renewable energy in the country and as the company’s contribution to the global renewable energy targets. Sixty-five percent (65%) of AboitizPower’s new capacities will be sourced from renewables, resulting in an almost 50:50 Cleanergy and thermal capacity mix by 2030.**
