Monday, July 18, 2011

Dipolog City eyes construction of mini-hydro power plant

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MONDAY, 18 JULY 2011 18:14 BONG GARCIA JR. / CORRESPONDENT


ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Dipolog City government is looking at putting up a mini-hydro power plant to augment the electricity needs of the consumers in that city, the capital of Zamboanga del Norte province.
Dipolog City Mayor Evelyn Uy said they are planning to tap either the Dipolog River or the Dapitan River as the source of the water-generated electricity. Dipolog is a first-class city.
Uy said it is part of the city government’s effort to help address the impending energy problem in Mindanao in general and Dipolog City in particular.
“We should be prepared as early as now. The electricity demand is growing but the supply is not increasing,” Uy said.
She said she will present the proposal to the Mindanao Development Authority for the conduct of a feasibility study for the proposed mini-hydro power plant in Dipolog City.
Once realized, she said the project is enough to augment the electricity needs of Dipolog City. It is known for its wild orchids and sardine industry which stems from the rich fishing area off its shores.
Dipolog City is known as the “Gateway to Western Mindanao” through the Western Nautical Highway and has also been called the “Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines.”
The city has 21 barangays and a population of 108,080 as of 2007.
Uy said Dipolog City has been experiencing a nine-hour brownout every Saturday for almost a year now. The brownout has greatly affected the business sector, she said. She also said the city often experiences low voltage on week days.
She saids the city initially eyed putting up solar-energy facilities but building such is expensive though environment friendly.

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