Local tribes approve Hedcor’s Benguet hydro

MANILA, Philippines - Hedcor Inc., a unit of Aboitiz Power Corp., has secured the approval of the affected local tribes for its 19-megawatt (MW) Bineng combined hydropower pro-ject in La Trinidad, Benguet.

In a statement, Hedcor said the indigenous people of La Trinidad Organization (LTIPO) inked a partnership with Hedcor for the development of the 19-MW hydropower project.

LTIPO formally approved the project on Jan. 25 with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA), allowing various benefits to the indigenous people (IP) organization for clearing Hedcor to operate in their domain.

“We are happy that the IPs of La Trinidad see the benefit of our project. Hedcor will continue to partner with the communities to make a better community,” Hedcor senior vice president Chris Faelnar said.

Under the agreement, LTIPO is allotted one centavo per kilowatt royalty share from the generation of the hydropower plant.

About P600,000 will be remitted to LTIPO annually out of the generation of the hydropower plant and about P800,000 for their development fund.

Part of the agreement is also the construction of the IP multi-purpose building with a view deck where one can view the project and nearby scenic spots in a bid to spur tourism in the area.

“The provisions of our MOA will surely benefit the IP community,” IP municipal representative Charles Abela said.

The proposed Bineng combined hydropower project, which will harness the Balili River which flows northward of Baguio City to La Trinidad, is expected to be operational by 2018.

It will raise the capacity of the 25-year-old run-of-river hydropower plant from 5.48 MW to 19 MW.

Built in 1991, the Bineng hydropower plants are one of the first plants to be constructed by Hedcor in Benguet.