Wednesday, April 24, 2013

134 mini-hydros to open

Manila Standard Today
By Ferdi G. Domingo  Posted on Apr. 24, 2013 at 12:01am
Cabanatuan City — At least 134 mini-hydro power plants will be put up to help boost power generation, said an official of the National Irrigation Administration.
Engr. Antonio Nangel, administrator, said aside from adding more hectares to the agency’s target coverage this year, mini hydro plants will boost the drive toward rice sufficiency.
“As of January, only 40,000 hectares (are left) to complete 90,000” he told Manila Standard.
Nangel, former operations manager of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System here before being appointed NIA chief in 2010, said the agency has partnered with the Philippine National Oil Co. Renewable Corp. on the project.
“Aside of being cost-effective, these mini hydroplants will help maximize the usage of water resources before reaching the farmlands for irrigation,” he said.
He said that the plants are rated for 200 to 500 kilowatts.
Each of the mini-hydropower plant cost around P18 million to P20 million per megawatt to build, which is much cheaper than the P82 million to P180 million per MW requirement for bigger hydroelectric dams, according to Nangel.
In Nueva Ecija, five sites have been identified: Rizal and its lower portion, Peñaranda, Atate in Palayan City, and San Jose.   source

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