A. Brown ventures into ‘Greenfield’ hydro

Manila Bulletin 
By Myrna M. Velasco 
Published: July 8, 2013 
After moving notches into implementing its fossil fuel-based power projects, listed firm A. Brown Company Inc. (ABCI) is changing lane into renewable energy venture with its planned 25-megawatt hydropower facility in Surigao del Sur.
The company, in a statement to the media, announced that this will be undertaken by its wholly-owned subsidiary Hydrolink Projects Corporation.
ABCI said its subsidiary recently signed a service contract with the Department of Energy (DOE) “for the development of the Caran-an river in Cantilan.”
It added that the RE service contract “gives Hydrolink exclusive rights to explore, develop and utilize Carac-an’s hydropower resources.”
Given the supply shortages long-endured by several areas in Mindanao, the grid appears to be the preference site for many power projects today.
ABCI particularly noted that it wants to address the supply needs of Surigao del Sur II Electric Cooperative (SURSECO II), after a decided reduction on its supply procurement with state-run National Power Corporation.
“Given expected increase in power demand in the coming years, SURSECO II will have to seek alternative sources to supply the power requirements of the province,” ABCI stressed. The electric cooperative services the needs of 12 municipalities and one city.
ABCI chairman Dr. Walter Brown noted that their hydro subsidiary “immediately commissioned a hydropower technical team to study the power potentials of the rivers in Surigao.”
He further affirmed that “the results of the study show that Carac-an river has the best potential for development.”
Additionally, Hydrolink president Roel Z. Castro emphasized that the company already “conducted pre-feasibility study of the river,” and that “we have already identified the most viable strategies for its development.”
From that phase, he stressed that “we will now proceed to processing the necessary permits and coordinate with Surigao’s local officials for their support of the project.”   source