Mt Prov execs eye millions from hydropower income

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Provincial officials are now eyeing environment-friendly hydropower to boost local government coffers with millions of pesos in income.  

Mountain Province which graduated as one of the poorest Club 20 provinces in the country has huge, untapped potentials of hydropower energy with build –operate- transfer  schemes  being encouraged.

Gov. Leonard Mayaen bared these during a media forum with local government  officials including  mayors  Anthony Wooden of Tadian, Abraham Akilit of Bauko and Gabino  Ganggangan of Sadanga, and heads of line agency offices.

In recent forum, engineering consultant  David  Tauli  said  the  province holds 63,300 kilowatt  or  63.3 megawatt potential  equal to 248.8 gigawatt  hours (GWH) per year able to generate an income of  minimum of  P10,740 million.

Compared to the  4,300 kilowatt or 4.3 megawatt consumption of  Mountain Province  Electric Company purchased from the national grid, the province’s  hydropower potential poses   considerable wealth which could practically mean subsidized if not free  electricity for its constituent households. 

Hydropower potentials are found in Barlig along the Tanudanriver  having  2,400 KW or 9.4  GWH/ year, Bauko with Enodey at 7,000KW or 21.5 GWH/year; Besao with 20,900KW at 64.1GWH/year; Bontoc at  Talubin  with 10,800 KW or 70.4GWH/year; Natonin at Siffu river with 5,150KW with 18 GWH/year; Sabangan with 14,000KW with 55 GWH/year and Tadian with Dicapan at 3,000KW at 10.5 GWH/year. 

HEDCOR has already began construction of  a 14 megawatt hydro power project  at Napua-Namatec, Sabangan.

The local BIMAKA Renewable Energy  Development Corporation has its 15megawatt  mini hydro plan  with the project intended to be built along the Layugan River at  Besao; now in its application stage at the Department of Energy.  

The multinational Asia Pacific company intends to build a 2.4 megawatt mini hydro Dicapan project in barangay Lubon, Tadian and another 2.4 megawatt mini hydro at Upper Siffuriver  in barangay Balangao, Natonin; 3MW at lower Siffu river at Balangao and 2.4 MW along the Tanudan river in Barangay Lias, Barlig.

Now local government units plan to build their own hydro energy plants.

For Mayor Abraham Akilit of  Bauko town which traces  headwaters  four big rivers- Chico, Agno, Abra, and Magat-  Akilit intends  to build a mini hydro dam  and divert the waters of the Chico and Dekyao rivers at Monamon barangay  towards Abit river through the construction of a one kilometer tunnel.

While this proposal alarmed irrigation water users downstream, Akilit said not all of the water shall be diverted and that the waters shall rejoin the Chico River.  

The former regional director of the National Irrigation Administration said the local government of Bauko also plans to construct a multi-purpose minihydro power plant for domestic water in Abatan, Buguias and Mankayan town with water Along the Agno River.

Mayor Anthony Wooden of Tadian said their LGU is intent on taking over the mini hydro  project  from Asia Pac.

Along  with some LGU officials, they shall be visit  the  mini hydro project of  San Luis, Aurora and get some  insights on how San Luis LGU is managing  its hydro power project.

The LGU-managed San Luis mini-hydro power plant (SLMHPP) is a 750 kW plant generating  4.0 million kWh per year financed by  a loan from Land Bank  composing 75% of the  P80.3 million project cost and 25% equity from San Luis municipality.

It started operations in June 2011 with contract for the supply of energy with AURELCO at PhP 4.4395 per kWh.

Tauli said  LGUs can apply for loans at banks  for the construction of  their intent to build mini hydro power plants  with construction to be done by private corporation –experts. 

These  “non-recourse projects” are loans incurred for  mini hydro paid by revenues from the project, he added.

Tauli who holds more than 30 years of experience on  electricity distribution utility engineering  and management   encouraged  local government units to go into Build Operate and Transfer  arrangements with  expert - private firms.

And because private companies  don’t own the  water, wind and sun, the firms should  turn over the energy plant  after 20 to 25 years  of operation after they have  recovered their  capital,  the former  Cagayan Electric and Light Power Company) CEPALCO vice chairman added.

Researcher on renewable energy and former staff with  SIBAT  (Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya) Jove Benosa said water rights of  folks downstream have to be taken note of in the implementation of hydro projects. SIBAT has been into intensive community based renewable energy projects for the past 20 years. 

Gwen Longid of the  Tangguyub Peoples  Center also said continuing studies be done on the implementation of  hydropower projects with the least destruction to the environment.  

Ensuring the  continuity of the watershed is an equally  demanding   responsibility  to keep the waters flowing.Akilit said watersheds of  Bauko are  in need of protection from encroaching vegetable gardeners and forest fires warranting the need for immediate  attention.

Wooden said preserving watersheds of  Tadian  is observed  by  applying the peoples’ customary  practises on watershed protection via the batangan system  firmed up by local legislative action.

Reforestation expense can be sourced from earnings from the project  with fifty  centavos or more per kWh allocated for watershed development, Tauli said.

At present only one-half of a centavo (PhP 0.005) per kWh of the generation of hydro projects is allocated for watershed development.