MORE NEWS, IFUGAO

Japan firm leads project : $ 1.1-M hydro project readied in Ifugao town

KIANGAN, Ifugao — Investments in hydroelectric power plants in the river systems of the Cordillera have started to come in especially in this world-heritage province.

The new hydro-electric projects are expected to improve power supply and spur economic development in the countryside of the Cordillera Region.

This developed after a Japan-based power company announced it is investing at least P1 million in a mini-hydroelectric plant in Kiangan with a proposed 6,000-kilowatt generation capacity.

Toyota Matsuoka of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. presented the proposal during a recent gathering that discussed the preservation of additional landscapes in this province.

It was learned that the pre-feasibility study of the proposed power plant was completed last year and that initial consultations had been conducted with the affected communities in Abangal, Kiangan to ensure that the project will be implemented smoothly.

Matsuoka said Kiangan was chosen as the most feasible site for the multi-million-peso project because it is located away from the scenic Ifugao Rice Terraces. This is to avoid any adverse effect of the plant’s operation on the rice paddies.

He said one fundamental consideration is the power project must be located away from the heritage sites, in this case, the Ifugao Rice Terraces.

Masuoka said the Kiangan minihydro project has drawn enough attention from potential donors, adding that the main purpose of the undertaking is to generate funds for the continuous preservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces, now included as one of the endangered world-heritage sites.

The power that would be generated from the plant would be sold to the local electric cooperative, and the money will be deposited in a trust fund called the "rice terraces conservation fund" which would be exclusively utilized to fund programs and projects for the maintenance and preservation of the scenery in the historic Ifugao Rice Terraces.

The company is set to start full implementation of the project by next year. Full operation is set in 2010.

Once completed, Matsuoka said, the mini-hydro plant would be eventually turned over to the community to serve as a means to create businesses in the area.

The project was also proposed by E8, an organization of eight electric companies in G8 countries.
Among the thrusts of the G8 countries is to address the global electric concerns especially in the developing countries like the Philippines.

Kiangan is a historic site in the Cordillera because it was where General Tomoyoki Yamashita of the Japanese Imperial Army surrendered to American and Filipino forces at the end of World War II. – Dexter A. See