Friday, June 21, 2013
SABANGAN, Mt. Province -- Hedcor Inc. a fully-owned subsidiary of the Aboitiz Power Corp., has allocated P1.9 billion for the completion of its hydropower project here.
Hedcor president and chief of the operating officer Rene Ronquillo, in an interview after the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, said the Sabangan project, their first hydropower plant in this province, utilizes a run-of-river scheme that will harness the water of Chico River.
The ceremony was held at the Sabangan Municipal Hall grounds, spearheaded by Hedcor with the Mountain Province Governor Leonard Mayaen, Sabangan Mayor Donato Danglose and other local officials.
Ronquillo said the project will supply 14 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy in Sabangan that is expected to produce a total of 55 million kilowatt-hour of clean and renewable energy.
The Sabangan hydropower project will be established in barangays Namatec and Napu.
"This is our answer to the government's advocacy in increasing the renewable energy portfolio in the country. We believe that there's this strong community support because the nice thing about small hydro is that it provides inclusive growth and development in the communities," Ronquillo said.
He said the community will benefit from the Sabangan project through its Corporate Social Responsibility focusing on education, health, safety, environment and livelihood, which is open to the communities for the construction phase.
Ronquillo said they will employ some 500 workers for the construction of the Sabangan project within two years, as the hydropower project is expected to complete either in 2015 or earlier 2016.
"Hiring of the locals is our priority. So, it is the process of identifying what the community needs most and then prioritizing them. We would make sure that we will able to comply [with] the necessities of Sabangan," Ronquillo said.
He said the local government will also benefit from over P10 million worth of monetary shares that will cover real property taxes, government and voluntary shares.
"The host communities, including the barangays and the tribal communities, will also be given share from the generation sales of the plant, as Hedcor is committed not only to maintain its leadership in the field of run-of-river hydropower but also in improving the lives of our host of the said project," he said.
Ronquillo said the project is expected to take 22 months to complete. He also said residents who will qualify for the job will be trained to operate and maintain its project.
Mayaen has endorsed the project to the area, citing the benefits the Hedcor will bring to host communities.
The Hedcor has been developing a run-of-river hydropower with at least 19 plants across Benguet, Ilocos Sur, and Davao, generating a total of 155 MW. It is currently constructing project expansion with its two plants in Davao del Sur.
The run-of-river hydropower utilizes the flow and elevation drop of rivers to generate electricity, a portion of water from the river diverting into a conveyance pipe and then to a turbine to generate electricity, said Gregorio Jabonillo, vice president for Hedcor's Business Development, as he showed to the Davao-based media its hydropower plant in Benguet last Wednesday. source
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