BARMM, Iligan diocese back rehab of Mindanao hydros
COTABATO CITY—The leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Catholic Diocese of Iligan in Northern Mindanao backed mounting calls to rehabilitate the aging hydropower plants in Mindanao to increase their capacity to generate renewable energy in the southern region.
Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said he met with officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) last week to talk about the planned rehabilitation of the state-owned hydropower complex.
He said Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo and Psalm president Dennis Edward dela Serna met with him to discuss the reabilitation of the Agus and Pulangi hydroelectric complex which aims to increase their combined generation capacity from the current 600 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts.
“This initiative is vital not only for energy security, but for unlocking the full potential of our resources for the benefit of our people,” Macacua said in a statement.
The DOE and Psalm officials also made the rounds in Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Iligan City.
Lake Lanao, the largest freshwater lake in Mindanao found in the Bangsamoro region, serves as headwater for the Agus River that cascades from Marawi City in Lanao del Sur down to Iligan Bay in Iligan City.
Six hydropower plants are built along the river—two in Marawi City; one in Balo-i, Lanao del Norte; and three in Iligan City.
Macacua assured the energy executives of the BARMM government’s support for the rehabilitation of the Agus hydropower complex.
“We remain committed to working closely with our partners to ensure that our natural resources are managed responsibly, equitably, and for the long-term welfare of our people—towards a much stronger Bangsamoro,” he said.
Also up for rehabilitation is the Pulangi IV in Maramag, Bukidnon.
The oldest among the power plants was commissioned in 1969 hence already require much-needed refurbishing.
Renewable energy advocate BenCyrus Ellorin had warned that delaying the rehabilitation of the plants could risk irreversible deterioration of the assets which could lead to Mindanao losing a major source of cheap energy, and could confine the region to continued dependency with coal-fed capacities.
Pastoral letter
Iligan Bishop Jose Rapadas III issued a pastoral letter last Sunday supporting a government-led rehabilitation of the Agus and Pulangi hydropower complex.
He strongly opposed the privatization of the PSALM-owned hydropower facilities.
“We support the rehabilitation of the Agus-Pulangi Hydroelectric Complex (Aphec) by the government. It is a matter of justice and stewardship that these publicly funded renewable energy assets be restored and upgraded so they can continue to serve Mindanao and the nation,” Rapadas said.
For decades, Aphec has been a vital public asset that provided Mindanao with relatively low-cost renewable electricity “enabling the development of our communities and helping keep the cost of living within reach, especially for the poor,” he said.
On the other hand, the prelate stressed they strongly opposed the privatization of Aphec, either through public-private partnership (PPP) or other means, fearing that it will result in “higher electricity rates, reduced public income, and loss of democratic oversight.”
Two unsolicited proposals have passed the “completeness” evaluation of the PPP Center, both aiming to rehabilitate the Agus and Pulangi plants.
One is a proposed joint venture with Psalm to rehabilitate, operate and maintain the plants submitted by a consortium of San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. and Sta. Clara International Corp., for a recoverable cost of P69.72 billion. This was endorsed by the PPP Center to PSALM on Jan. 5 this year.
Another proposal is from Greenergy Development Corp., a Mindanao-based firm and pioneer in solar energy systems in the region—for a recoverable cost of P35.76 billion—seeking to rehabilitate, operate and maintain the plants, integrating innovative approaches to further increase their capacity by, among others, introducing pumped storage hydropower technology. This was endorsed by the PPP Center to Psalm on April 6.
