Hydro Project For Mountain Province

Local firm AsiaPac Green Renewable Energy Corporation (AGREC) will be investing P1.6 billion for the

development of four mini-hydropower projects in Mountain Province which will expectedly yield aggregate output

of 10.55 megawatts.

The service contracts (SCs) awarded to it by the Department of Energy (DOE) covered the 2.75-megawatt Upper

Siffu River hydropower project; 3.0MW Lower Siffu River hydropower project; 2.4MW Tanudan River hydropower

project and the 2.4MW Dicapan River hydropower project.

The company, in its project brief, has emphasized that the hydro plants will “supplement the increasing power

demand of Mountain Province.”

It specified that the facilities are targeting to generate a total of 39,945,000 kilowatts per hour of

electricity annually. The average plant factor is anticipated at 45-percent and the plants are expected to have

30-year economic life.

The actual construction of the plants, the company said, will stretch over two years when all regulatory

permits have already been secured from relevant government agencies.

The plants’ generated electricity will be offered through a power purchase agreement (PPA) to the Mountain

Province Electric Cooperative.

The project developer indicated that it is also lining up the proposed hydropower ventures to become part of

the installation targets that can avail of the feed-in-tariff (FIT) incentive scheme. The company also

disclosed that it has been working on securing the consent of the indigenous communities along the project

sites, based on the Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) guidelines. It will need to secure a certificate from

the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) before the DOE gives it the final approval for the

construction and development of the projects.

According to AGREC consultant Manuel M. Vergel, the company was prompted on these investments given “the great

demand of power supply everywhere in the country.”

He added that mini-hydro systems will be suitable for areas like Mountain Province, because they can still

aptly keep pace with its demand increase on power supply. (MMV)

https://www.mb.com.ph/articles/392197/hydro-project-for-mountain-province