THE SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP) on Monday said that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed multipurpose Alimit Dam project in Ifugao province.

Under the MoU, both parties will be looking at the viability of the project for irrigation and flood reduction purposes.

The Alimit river is a tributary of the Magat river that feeds the NIA-operated Magat Dam, a major source of irrigation and power in Luzon.

“Through this MoU, NIA and SN Aboitiz Power Group will be able to jointly cooperate in studying the feasibility of the Alimit multipurpose dam for irrigation, flood reduction in the province of Cagayan, generation of additional power for the Luzon grid, and additional benefits for agriculture, aquaculture, and general industry development,” Acting NIA administrator Eduardo Guillen said in a statement.

SNAP President and CEO Joseph Yu said the firm was privileged to have NIA as its partner as the company continued exploring the possibility of developing Alimit.

“Our partnership brings together knowledge, expertise, resources, and innovation from our respective sectors, and we look forward to studying and designing a project that addresses multiple challenges,” Yu added.

SN Aboitiz Power is a joint venture of Scatec, a Norwegian renewable energy firm, and Aboitiz Power Corp. It owns and operates the 112.5-megawatt (MW) Ambuklao and 140-MW Binga hydroelectric power plants in Benguet and the Magat hydroelectric power plant located at the border of Isabela and Ifugao.