P3B needed to rehabilitate Agus-Pulangi hydropower plants — Napocor

The National Power Corp. needs at least P3 billion to rehabilitate the Agus-Pulangi hydropower plants in Mindanao to increase their capacities by 100 to 200 megawatts (MW). Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras told reporters over the weekend that he has directed Napocor "to find a way to bring the hydropower plants back to their 700-MW capacities." "For the rehabilitation of our hydropower facilities in Mindanao, it will cost around P2 billion. If we would like to upgrade some of our facilities, then we're looking at spending about P3 billion," Napocor president Froilan Tampinco said. Tampinco said funding for the projects would be sourced from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), the government's privatization arm in the power sector. "Since these facilities are part of the major grid capacities, it will have to be sourced out through PSALM," he said. Mindanao experienced brownouts of as long as eight hours a day in some areas during the summer months due to low water levels of its hydropower facilities. Most of Mindanao's power is generation from hydropower. Almendras earlier said that the Agus-Pulangi hydropower facilities must be exempted from the government's privatization program. He said the privatization of Agus-Pulangui hydropower complex should be left to the discretion of PSALM in consultation with Congress. Over the weekend, Almendras told reporters that Congress has decided to privatize the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex. - JE/KBK/DM, GMANews.TV