“This is a commonplace occurrence in hydro systems and we cannot prevent things like these from happening, especially when we’re working with a 70-year-old system,” said Hedcor vice president for administration Miguel Romero-Salas. “But as a responsible caretaker of facilities, we immediately attended to the conveyance line to minimize opportunity losses to the City.”
Conveyance lines are steel pipes or open canals that transport water from the river intake to the hydropower plant to generate energy.
The damage at the Asin system completely cut off the water supply of Plant 2 and reduced the supply of Plant 3 with generation losses totaling 233,000 kilowatt-hours.
Costs
The repair works had alternating shifts from both 49 Hedcor employees and contractors and cost over P1.1 million.
The total sum included the construction of several support frames and concrete blocks, riprap works along critical areas, and the complete replacement of a 25-meter steel pipe manufacturesd by Hedcor’s fabrication shop.
Hedcor president and chief operation officer Rene Ronquillo said the Asin hyrdos are in dire need of repair.
About 40 critical areas in the system need either replacement or reinforcement this year to safely operate the plants, he said.
He also said that increasing the capacity of the Asin hydropower system would require a complete overhaul worth P300 to P350 million in additional investments. (PR)
