Philippines creating unit to study small hydropower development at irrigation sites

Philippines creating unit to study small hydropower development at
irrigation sites

The Philippines National Irrigation Administration (NIA), according to NIA
administrator Peter Lavina, is working with the Philippine National Oil
Company Renewables Corp. to create a new unit to study the potential of
developing small hydropower projects in over 300 irrigation facilities
across the country.

A report today in the Manila-based Malaya Business Insight quoted Lavina's
statement from comments he made at the Pandesal Forum, in Quezon City,
Philippines. The forum is held at Kamuning Bakery, a pandesal bakery turned
into political forum for local and national politicians. Pandesal - pan de
suelo - is bread baked on the floor of the oven rather than in pans.

Lavina did not define the potential capacity or cost of each potential
project.

"We have been receiving several (partnership proposals from) both foreign
and local companies," Lavina is quoted as saying in the report. "But we have
not reviewed the so-called 300 sites all over the country that has potential
for hydro, we are just creating a new unit within NIA to tackle this one."

Lavina also reportedly said funding for the planned developments could come
from the sale of hydropower projects.

HydroWorld.com reported earlier this week that the Power Sector Assets and
Liabilities Management Corp., owned and managed by the Philippines'
state-run National Power Corp. (NAPCOR), is awaiting results from a study it
commissioned on how to best move from federally owned power generation
facilities towards privatization.

The 360-MW Magat hydroelectric power plant in Isabela was the first
federally-owned hydropower project to undergo the privatization process. In
2007, SN Aboitiz Power-Magat Inc., a joint venture between local company
Aboitiz Power and Norwegian firm SN Power, paid an estimated US$530 million
to NAPCOR for the project.

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http://www.hydroworld.com/articles/2017/02/philippines-creating-unit-to-stud
y-small-hydropower-development-at-irrigation-sites.html?cmpid=enl_hydroworld
_hydroupdates_2017-02-21&email_address=johndiecker@gmail.com&eid=287675795&b
id=1670326

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com