Thursday, April 03, 2008 SP to scrutinize 3 hydro projects By Grace L. Plata
THE Hedcor Inc. management will appear before the Davao City Council on April 8 to present its proposed three mini-hydroelectric plants in barangays Tamugan and Suawan in Marilog District.
Vice-Mayor Sara Duterte said she invited Hedcor to explain the project to the public amid claims that the projects are within protected areas.
"I can only estimate from the map I have that the barangays are classified as agricultural," Duterte said with regards to the classification of the land involved.
According to the City Council environment chair Leonardo R. Avila III, barangays Tamugan and Suawan are classified as a combination of non-tillage agro forestry and conservation zone - a classification given to areas that are part of the critical watersheds, which is usually closed to development.
However, Avila said the council has to hear the Hedcor's proposal to determine if it is really an allowable development or not.
The Davao City Water District (DCWD) is also opposed to the project, said DCWD General Manager Rodora Gamboa in Tuesday's regular session where Gamboa was invited as resource person.
In a statement published on Wednesday, Hedcor said its proposed seven-megawatt Suawan plant had already secured an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last March 19 after having complied with Presidential Decree No. 1586, requiring the establishment of an environmental impact statement system and environmental management measures for the construction of the power plant.
According to Hedcor, one of the requirements of the ECC is a Free and Prior Informed Consent from the indigenous people community, which they said they completed in October 2007.
"It took us about two years, but with the support of the community leaders and concerned government agencies, we were able secure the required permits. We can now proceed with the construction of the Suawan plant, which will take another two years," Hedcor vice president for Mindanao Operations Gregorio Jabonillo said in the same statement.
The Suawan run-of-river hydropower plant is part of Hedcor's P6-billion, 34.5-megawatt Tamugan Hydropower Project. The project consists of the construction of two other hydropower plants -- the 20-megawatt Tamugan AB and 7.5- megawatt Panigan -- all within the Baguio and Marilog Districts of Davao City.
Hedcor plans to break ground by June of this year to supply Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) 234 million kilowatt-hours annually starting August 2010.
"These generating facilities will help avert a power crisis in Davao by supplying clean, reliable and affordable energy from its rivers. Therefore, this project is also Davao's contribution in reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide," Jabonillo added.
Hedcor is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly listed Aboitiz Power Corporation, the holding company of all Aboitiz assets and interests in the power generation, distribution and energy solutions industries. It is also currently developing the 42.5-megawatt Sibulan Hydropower Project, which will be fully operational to supply DLPC with 212 million-kilowatt hours of clean energy starting August 2009. (With PR)
