PH and JICA ink large-scale hydropower deal

They will identify possible sites for hydropower generation.

The Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed a three-year partnership to develop the country’s hydropower potential.

In a statement, the Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) said the initiative aims to identify and assess viable large-scale hydropower sites across the country, in support of sustainable power generation. This also aims to encourage greater private sector participation through the DOE’s Open and Competitive Selection Process.

The project will commence in September, focusing on developing a national inventory of large-scale hydropower sites, particularly those suitable for impounding and pumped-storage technologies with capacities exceeding 100 megawatts (MW).

This will be implemented in three phases, starting with gathering of relevant data such as topographic maps, rainfall and flow data and the conduct of a field survey of four priority sites. These sites will serve as pilot areas for pre-feasibility studies and potential future investment opportunities.

The agreement expands the groundwork laid by a 2012 JICA-supported study that assessed the potential of small- to medium-scale run-of-river, reservoir, and pondage hydropower plants below 100 MW.

This initiative is also the first technical cooperation project formulated and approved following JICA’s Data Collection Survey for Climate Change Measures and Green Transformation, completed in 2024.