Kalinga to invest P158M in hydropower project in Tabuk City

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Aimed at reducing high electricity rates in the province, the provincial government unit of Kalinga is investing into renewable energy particularly the Upper Tabuk Hydropower project in Barangay Dupag, Tabuk City.

By virtue of Resolution no. 2022-333, the provincial government particularly the governor, was given the authority to enter into a public-private partnership with Tabuk Hydro Energy (THE) Corporation to pursue said hydropower project.

With a nod from the legislative body, the local government will be investing a total amount of P158 million into said project considering that with this pursuit, it is expected that it would ‘advance economic development, improve energy security, improve access to energy and low-cost electricity as well as to mitigate climate change’.

The provision of the said amount would ensure that the local government will own 20 percent of the project and shall receive 20 percent of the project’s net income which is projected to be around P30.9 million annually for the project's first 25 years of operation.

DPJ Engrs. and THE corporation, meantime shall own 80 percent of the project, along with the accountability that they will be primarily responsible for the implementation of the project and provision of the peso-sum which is equal to the 80 percent project cost.

The corporation shall likewise receive 80 percent of the net income.

Reason for investing to the Upper Tabuk Hydropower Project

Following the conduct of research and interviews, the local government of Kalinga found out that among proposed hydropower projects in Kalinga, the said project pursued by the DPJ Engrs. has the most accomplishments with regard to pre-development and development activities pursuant to the requirement of the Department of energy and other government regulatory agencies.

One is the completion of the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) – a mandatory step to ensure indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination. NCIP facilitates the said processes working with the communities to prepare them and make them well-informed.

Also, the corporation has completed the following process;

· Issuance of the Certificate of Precondition by the NCIP for the construction of the project's access road and bridge.

· Processing and Issuance of the project's Environmental Compliance Certificate from the DENR-EMB;

· Processing and Issuance of the Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) for the project's access road and bridge and a Provisional Agreement for the hydropower project itself from the DENR

· Strong endorsement and passionate support of the Barangay Officials and community members of Dupag, Tabuk City, Kalinga;

· Strong endorsement from Kalinga PLGU;

· Conditional approval of the Land Bank of the Philippines to provide P2 Billion loan for the project; and

· Partial construction of the access road to the project site worth PhP6 Million.

Components of the Project

The main components of the project include the construction of a concrete gravity dam, penstock intake tower, powerhouse, sediment flushing tunnel, 69kV sub-transmission line, access road, and a bridge.

The normal operating height (head) for power generation will be around 35.4m while the design flow is around 60m/s.

Other hydropower projects in Kalinga

Apart from said hydropower project, three hydropower projects in Balbalan and Pinukpuk are also being pursued.

The projects include the 49 Megawatts Saltan D River hydropower plant (HPP), 45 Megawatts Saltan River HPP, and 40 Megawatts Mabaca River HPP.

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