Business World Online
Posted on December 08, 2013 11:05:49 PM
REHABILITATION of Angat dam in Bulacan is expected to start next year, with Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) taking the lead in the project.
An official of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) said rehabilitation is expected to commence after the turnover of the privatized portion of the 246-megawatt (MW) Angat hydroelectric power plant (HEPP) to K-water.
“Under the Angat HEPP O&M (operation and maintenance) agreement, K-water has the obligation to perform the mandatory rehabilitation activities to make Angat dam and its related facilities conform to… international standards,” PSALM President Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said in a text message on Wednesday last week.
He added that turnover of the 218-MW segment of the facility to the Korean firm is expected by early next year. K-water is the firm that bagged the contract to own and operate the 218-MW privatized segment of the 246-MW Angat HEPP in Bulacan, which sources its water requirements from the dam.
Mr. Ledesma said that a study on the Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project -- which was estimated to cost some P5.7 billion -- was undertaken even before PSALM awarded the contract to K-water.
He added that K-water may adopt recommendations of the study though it can also conduct its own study for final project design.
“K-Water under the O&M agreement for the non-power components, however, can engage the services of at least two independent consultants to conduct its own study,” the Mr. Ledesma said.
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Gerardo A.I. Esquivel said in a separate interview on Friday that the government hopes rehabilitation will start next year.
“Angat dam and dyke rehabilitation is one of the key infrastructure projects of the government which we’re hoping will start next year through K-water,” Mr. Esquivel said.
The official said this came after MWSS, PSALM, National Power Corp., K-water, and the local government of Bulacan met last Nov. 20 to facilitate implementation of the proposed strengthening and rehabilitation of Angat dam.
“We’re finalizing our timelines, but K-water is working on it already.
They made a physical model of the Angat dam in their laboratory in Korea,” Mr. Esquivel noted.
He said the scale model of the dam should be completed by yearend, after which K-water will proceed with analysis and interpretation of data which in turn should be completed by March 2014.
“We already gave them a Tonkin and Taylor study. So using this study and their laboratory and whatever independent studies they have, then we’re ready to proceed with the project,” Mr. Esquivel said.
“So we hope in the middle of next year, they (K-water) already have an actual method that will be used in the rehabilitation and the project will already start by then,” he added.
The dam supplies about 90% of the water needs of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“This planned remediation is the first since the Angat Dam’s commissioning in 1968. The project was formulated based on a study as it aims to ensure the safety of the Angat Dam from the impact of natural calamities,” read a fact sheet on the project.
“More specifically, the project aims to conduct rehabilitation works on the main dam and dyke through establishment of contingency measures and the formulation of long-term strengthening and stabilization schemes,” it added.
Both design and construction phases of the project are expected to run for some 42 months.
The 246-MW Angat power plant and Angat dam are located in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
The plant is composed of four 50-MW main units and five auxiliaries with a total capacity of 46 MW. MWSS owns two of the auxiliary units with a total capacity of 28 MW which were excluded from sale conducted by PSALM which K-water won with a $440.8-million bid.
But MWSS last month said it was looking to sell the remaining unprivatized turbines to K-water as well so that there will be only one power plant operator.
Should those negotiations succeed, the P1.16-billion project to operate, rehabilitate and maintain auxiliary turbines will be removed from the government’s public-private partnership program. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano source
“Under the Angat HEPP O&M (operation and maintenance) agreement, K-water has the obligation to perform the mandatory rehabilitation activities to make Angat dam and its related facilities conform to… international standards,” PSALM President Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said in a text message on Wednesday last week.
He added that turnover of the 218-MW segment of the facility to the Korean firm is expected by early next year. K-water is the firm that bagged the contract to own and operate the 218-MW privatized segment of the 246-MW Angat HEPP in Bulacan, which sources its water requirements from the dam.
Mr. Ledesma said that a study on the Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project -- which was estimated to cost some P5.7 billion -- was undertaken even before PSALM awarded the contract to K-water.
He added that K-water may adopt recommendations of the study though it can also conduct its own study for final project design.
“K-Water under the O&M agreement for the non-power components, however, can engage the services of at least two independent consultants to conduct its own study,” the Mr. Ledesma said.
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Gerardo A.I. Esquivel said in a separate interview on Friday that the government hopes rehabilitation will start next year.
“Angat dam and dyke rehabilitation is one of the key infrastructure projects of the government which we’re hoping will start next year through K-water,” Mr. Esquivel said.
The official said this came after MWSS, PSALM, National Power Corp., K-water, and the local government of Bulacan met last Nov. 20 to facilitate implementation of the proposed strengthening and rehabilitation of Angat dam.
“We’re finalizing our timelines, but K-water is working on it already.
They made a physical model of the Angat dam in their laboratory in Korea,” Mr. Esquivel noted.
He said the scale model of the dam should be completed by yearend, after which K-water will proceed with analysis and interpretation of data which in turn should be completed by March 2014.
“We already gave them a Tonkin and Taylor study. So using this study and their laboratory and whatever independent studies they have, then we’re ready to proceed with the project,” Mr. Esquivel said.
“So we hope in the middle of next year, they (K-water) already have an actual method that will be used in the rehabilitation and the project will already start by then,” he added.
The dam supplies about 90% of the water needs of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“This planned remediation is the first since the Angat Dam’s commissioning in 1968. The project was formulated based on a study as it aims to ensure the safety of the Angat Dam from the impact of natural calamities,” read a fact sheet on the project.
“More specifically, the project aims to conduct rehabilitation works on the main dam and dyke through establishment of contingency measures and the formulation of long-term strengthening and stabilization schemes,” it added.
Both design and construction phases of the project are expected to run for some 42 months.
The 246-MW Angat power plant and Angat dam are located in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
The plant is composed of four 50-MW main units and five auxiliaries with a total capacity of 46 MW. MWSS owns two of the auxiliary units with a total capacity of 28 MW which were excluded from sale conducted by PSALM which K-water won with a $440.8-million bid.
But MWSS last month said it was looking to sell the remaining unprivatized turbines to K-water as well so that there will be only one power plant operator.
Should those negotiations succeed, the P1.16-billion project to operate, rehabilitate and maintain auxiliary turbines will be removed from the government’s public-private partnership program. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano source
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