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MONDAY, 01 OCTOBER 2012 19:10 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER
THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has granted the Philippines aid to build two mini-hydropower plants in Ifugao and Isabela, Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. said on Monday.
In a press conference, the energy official said Jica will fund the 800- kilowatt (kW) mini-hydropower plant project in Ifugao and a 150-kW mini-hydropower plant project in Isabela. Layug said the Ifugao facility will help address at least one-third of its 2.4-megawatt (MW) requirement, while the Isabela facility will not even make a dent on Isabela’s 10-MW demand for electricity.
Layug said the two power plants will not supply power to the grid as both plants are designed to be embedded-generation facilities.
Embedded-generation facilities refer to power plants that are within the market it will cater to.
Layug said Jica is still in the process of finalizing the feasibility study on the two sites, but the plants are targeted to be operational by 2015. As a rule of thumb, he added a mini-hydropower plant’s project cost is $2.5 million per megawatt.
He said Jica is looking at building the power plants and then train the local government units how to operate them.
“In effect, they will put up the power plant and let the local government units operate the mini-hydropower plants,” he said.
Layug said Jica has also agreed to rehabilitate the community-based irrigation system in that area, and that a portion of the proceeds from this project will go to the Rice Terraces Conservation Fund.
Hamaguchi Katsumasa, JICA representative for economic growth section, earlier said they were looking at prioritizing climate-change mitigation and clean-energy initiatives in its country-assistance strategy.
Katsumasa said climate-change mitigation is one of their priorities, and that they are ready to support clean-energy projects.
Katsumasa said they have helped and supported the Department of Energy in crafting the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
As for renewable-energy projects, he said JICA has supported the DOE in its hydro-resource study.
Katsumasa said the study was completed in March, and that it is now DOE’s turn to promote the results of the study.
“Our support is on a government-to-government basis, and it is why we can deal with the Development Bank of the Philippines. We have also helped the DOE in terms of technical assistance,” Katsumasa said. source
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