Saturday, July 16, 2011
REHABILITATION of Ambukalo Dam signaled success as it went back on the grid in June and is slated to have a local blessing on August 6, said SN Aboitiz Power (Snap) vice president for Corporate Services Mike Hosillos.
Hosillos said the company sees the full operation of Ambukalo Dam, dubbed as the oldest power plant in the province, in September after 12 years of shut down.
The decommissioned dam went back on the grid, contributing 35 megawatts to the Luzon grid.
"We are now contributing to the national grid and all rehabilitation should be done by the end of the year," Hosillos said.
The dam is now providing energy sources, with additional power at the Wholesale Energy Spot Market.
Hosillos said full rehabilitation is seen at the end of the year.
Snap eyes capacity of the dam to increase to 105 megawatts once rehabilitation is completed.
Rehabilitation works included construction of new intake, headrace and penstock, elevation of tailrace tunnel outlet, de-stilling of trail race tunnel and replacement of electro-mechanical components.
The Binga hydro power plant, also owned and operated by Snap, has been available for power generation since the company acquired it years ago.
Hosillo said both plants will be commissioned this year. The twin dams are seen as power sources set to supply the Luzon grid, ensuring energy security in the future.
The history of the dam started in the 1950's when an American company broke ground for the project. By 1959, the Binga hydroelectric plant, located 19 kilometers downstream from Ambuklao and dependent on its water, was commissioned.
In the past, the twin dams served the country by providing 175 megawatt of power for approximately 350,000 households.
In 1990, when the killer quake hit, heavy siltation began to take place in the Ambuklao reservoir, constricting water flow into the powerhouse. The dam closed in 1999 after several attempts by various companies to revive it.
Originally, the non-operational 75-megawatt Ambuklao hydroelectric power plant water rehabilitation started in December of 2008. It was scheduled for completion in 2010 but was delayed for a year by typhoons that affected rehabilitation works.
Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on July 16, 2011.
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