Ambuklao was the first among the largest hydroelectric power plants constructed in the Philippines and is one of the oldest. The facility was constructed for power generation and flood control and runs along the upper portion of Luzon’s third largest river, the Agno.

In July 1990, a strong earthquake hit Luzon resulting in siltation and technical problems that affected the plant’s operations. Ambuklao was eventually decommissioned in 1999.

When SNAP-Benguet took over in 2008, it began a massive rehabilitation project that restored Ambuklao to operating status and increased its capacity from 75 MW to 105 MW. The project required the construction of a new intake, headrace and penstock, elevation of tailrace tunnel outlet, de-silting of tailrace tunnel and replacement of electro-mechanical components. In June 2011, Unit 3 became the first turbine units to go on-line, followed by the other two units. Ambuklao was formally inaugurated in October 2011.

The Ambuklao power plant is designed as a peaking plant capable of delivering energy and providing ancillary services needed for for the grid’s reliability & stability.

The plant’s health and safety, quality, and environmental management systems are internationally certified under OHSAS 18001:2007, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001:2004, respectively.