DOE okays Hedcor grid impact study on 3 projects

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WEDNESDAY, 22 AUGUST 2012 20:56 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER

THE  Department of Energy (DOE) has given its nod to Hedcor Inc., Aboitiz Power Corp.’s hydropower arm, to proceed with the grid impact study for its planned three hydro projects.

Hedcor’s three planned hydropower plants are expected to generate a total of 41.4 megawatts (MW). The grid impact study will cover Hedcor’s 13.2-MW Sabang hydropower plant in the Mountain Province; 11.8-MW Simod hydro plant in Kitaotao, Bukidnon; and the 16.4-MW Sita hydro plant also in Kitaotao, Bukidnon.

Hedcor said the study will consider the impact of the power plants to the transmission network and the power grid.

The DOE earlier granted hydro service contracts to the three projects. It has also given several hydro service contracts to Hedcor that include the 5.9-MW FLS hydro plant, 3.6-MW Lon-oy hydro and Lower 2.4-MW Labay hydro, all located in Bakun, Benguet.

Hedcor said other approved projects in Benguet include the 2.4-MW Sal-angan hydro in Itogon and the Bineng plants in La Trinidad with a combined capacity of 10.25 MW.

Hedcor said the DOE has also approved the 8-MW Ampohaw hydro plant in Sablan, Benguet.

The department also granted Hedcor the contract to develop hydro projects in Mindanao, namely, the 1.1-MW Talomo 1 hydro in Calinan, Davao del Sur, 1.2-MW Talomo 2 and 2A hydro plants in Davao City, 1.92-MW Talomo 3 hydro in Pequeno, Davao del Sur, and 7-MW Tudaya 2 in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

AboitizPower said Hedcor has recently broke ground for the construction of the P1-billion Tudaya-2 hydropower project.

“The Tudaya project will provide the Davao area, and Mindanao as a whole, with reliable, dependable and competitively priced power, thereby strengthening the region’s position as a destination for business, investment and tourism,” Erramon Aboitiz, AboitizPower president, earlier said.

Aboitiz said the new hydropower plant will be constructed at Barangays Astorga and Rizal in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, harnessing Sibulan River. It will rise downstream of the Sibulan Hydro B plant, 200 meters away from the Davao-Cotabato highway.

AboitizPower said the generating facility will primarily deliver 40.5 gigawatt-hours annually to Davao del Sur Cooperative Inc. , which can power more than 7,000 homes.

AboitizPower said the Tudaya hydroelectric power plant’s generated carbon neutral electricity is seen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.     source