Trailblazing renewable energy developer Alternergy has cornered a new partner in Filipino-owned Exeter Portofino Holding for its planned run-of-river hydropower project in Lamut and Asipulo municipalities in Ifugao, a landlocked province in northern Luzon.

Exeter is a company chaired by Sara Soliven-de Guzman, a known civil society leader and is now regarded as a newly-minted investor in the RE space.

“With the entry of Exeter as co-partner, the Lamut-Asipulo hydropower project is in advanced stage of development and is expected to issue notice to proceed to early construction works in the coming months,” Alternergy stated.

In this investment tie-up, Soliven-de Guzman noted that both firms “share the same commitment to sustainability and improvement of the local communities and cultural heritage.”

She particularly cited that “the Lamut-Asipulo hydropower project is an opportunity for us to continue and expand the work our family has started in Ifugao.”

As cast on blueprint, the Lamut-Asipulo hydro project “will harness the flow of water from the Cawayan river to convert to clean and environment friendly renewable power.”

According to Alternergy, the site of the project spans through the ancestral domains of the Kalanguya, Ayangan and Tuwali indigenous cultural communities.

Owing to that then, the project-sponsor firm emphasized that a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the indigenous peoples had so far been sealed, being part of the all-inclusive process of the project’s implementation.

Additionally, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has already issued the certification precondition (CP), which is one of the key requirements in the permitting process for the hydropower venture.

Eduardo Martinez Miranda, president of Lamut-Asipulo Mini Hydro Corporation (LAMHC), asserted that the partnership with Exeter is a transformative stride toward “promoting clean energy and impacting the lives of the people.”

He reckoned that “while the development of hydropower projects could be long gestation, the benefits of clean and renewable power are long-term and significant.”

Alternergy shared that the family of their Exeter executive-partner, through Dr. Preciosa Soliven, who was UNESCO Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission, has “actively promoted the preservation of Ifugao heritage sites under the UNESCO program and supported educational improvement among children in Ifugao through their Operation Brotherhood Community Foundation.”

Soliven-de Guzman further conveyed that “our family has deep ties in Ifugao and we look forward to strengthening this together with Alternergy in harnessing renewable energy and helping uplift the lives of the Ifugaos.”