Hydrotec Renewables gets nod to construct hydro plant in Rizal

MANILA, Philippines - Hydrotec Renewables Inc. has been given a green light to construct a three-megawatt hydropower plant in Rodriguez, Rizal.

The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued a resolution approving the construction of the power plant within the Pamitinan Protected Landscape (PPL) in the province.

The resolution allows Hydrotec to construct the power plant within the protected area due to the environmentally-friendly design of its small hydro project, the company said over the weekend.

The DENR’s Environment Management Bureau (EMB) also issued a certificate of non-coverage (CNC) to Hydrotec which further affirms that the project has no negative impact on the environment.

Hydrotec director Hannes Mueller said with the CNC, the company no longer needs to secure an Environmental Clearance Certificate.

“With the CNC, there is no need for Hydrotec to get an ECC, a tedious and expensive process,” Mueller said.

The Pamitinan Protected Landscape in Sitio Wawa, Brgy. San Rafael, Rodriguez, Rizal covers a total land area of 608 hectares.

PAMB is a multi-sectoral body responsible for the administration and management of all protected areas in the country.

In its resolution, the body said the project would employ local residents for the construction and operation of the hydropower plants, outsourcing of civil construction works, pipe-steelworks, cranes, transportation, electric works, transmission lines, among others.

It also has a potential contribution to a more effective flood control system.

“Our project does not consume or extract water from the river. The water runs through the turbine which is connected to the electric generator and the full amount of the water is released back to the river,” Mueller said.

On the other hand, he said if a mega dam is constructed, the impact will be disastrous to any inhabitants and the environment.

“In the event of an earthquake, the mega dam would break and some 30 meters of water would flood the entire Marikina Valley, Laguna de Bay and parts of Metro Manila. Furthermore, with nowadays know-how and high-end technology made in Germany with a lifetime of 50 years, the construction of any mega dams is not economically and socio-environmentally feasible at all,” he said.

Hydrotec has received eight renewable service contracts including certificates of registration from the Energy Department for its small hydro projects along Marikina river and its tributaries

The construction period of a hydro power plant is six to eight months. The company targets to complete all eight hydro projects by 2016.