BAGUIO CITY – The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) is targeting to tap more than 75 megawatts of renewable energy from available sources within its franchise area in the next five to ten years to contribute in the gradual shift to clean power and help in enhancing the overall efforts to preserve and protect the environment.
BENECO general manager Engr. Melchor S. Licoben said that there are potential sources of hydro power in Kabayan that have an aggregate production of more than 50 megawatts, several hydro sites in Tuba with an accumulated production of 15 megawatts and a number of potential targeted hydro sources in Bakun with a maximum capacity of 10 megawatts.
He claimed that there are five potential sites in Kabayan that are being targeted to be initially developed that will contribute in significantly increasing the coop0erative’s renewable energy supply to help in reducing the cost of power and make the same affordable to the member-consumer-owners (MCOs).
The BENECO official announced that the 3-megawatt Man-asoc minihydro plant that was completed way back in 2022 was already given the go-signal by the national Grid Corporation (NGCP) and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to go on commercial operation effective October 1, 2024 and that the cooperative is only awaiting the certificate of compliance that will be issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to formalize the plant’s commercial operations.
However, he admitted that the development of the potential sources of hydro power in the identified municipalities will take some time because of the tedious processes involved, particularly in securing the service contracts, eliciting the consent of the indigenous peoples who own the domain, among other related processes and the sourcing out of funds to bankroll the put up of the proposed minihydro power plants.
To him, the development of the proposed minihydro power plants will definitely contribute in opening up the opportunity where almost all of the power requirements of the cooperative will be sourced from available hydro sources within its franchise area.
Licoben explained that one of the potential impact of being able to tap renewable sources of energy within BENECO’s franchise area is to significantly reduce the cost of power compared to solely relying on fossil fuel to provide the needed supply to the increasing number of consumers.
He pointed out that there has been a significant increase in power demand in the Baguio and Benguet areas over the past several years with the city recording a 10 percent hike in power demand last year and a promising 7.5 percent increase this year which warrants the need for the cooperative to continue developing renewable sources of energy to offer consumers cheap and quality power.
At present, BENECO’s power requirements is around 90 to 100 megawatts monthly where the bulk of the supply is being provided by coal-fired power plants operating in the different parts of the country.
Aside from targeting the development of potential hydro sources in the franchise area, BENECO is also eying the development of a one-megawatt solar farm in Tabaan Norte, Tuba, Benguet which is easier and cheaper to put up. By Dexter A. See
