KAPANGAN, Benguet – The Cordillera Hydroelectric Power Corporation (COHECO), an internally recognized local power corporation, is gaining ground in the preparatory works for its proposed 60megawatt run-of-river hydro project in the border of Kapangan and Kibungan towns.
Lawyer Jingboy Atonen, COHECO legal and compliance officer, claimed that the company was able to mobilize its personnel and contractors leading to the construction of a 2.5-kilometer dirt road from the junction of the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun road, particularly at its junction with Balacbac up to the Amburayan River.
Further, he added that the company was also able to build a similar road measuring 2.3 kilometers from Cuba up to the proposed weir area of the hydro power plant.
COHECO was also able to construct a .7-kilometer road from Sato, La Union up to the Amburayan River to help in facilitating the immediate delivery of the required units of construction equipment to the project site for the put up of the additional facilities of the hydro power plant.
Atonen pointed out that the newly constructed roads are also being used by the people living in the communities that were traversed by the initial roadline, especially in the transport of their agricultural produce from the farms to the nearest road and eventually to the market and for recreational purposes, particularly those wanting to go to have picnic and swimming activities in the river.
According to him, people in the areas that will be traversed by the roads that are being constructed by the company will also benefit from the said projects considering that the value of their properties will appreciate once the road networks will be completed.
The company plans to complete the 60-megawatt run-of-river hydro project within a period of 4 and a half years to help in providing the grid with added sources of renewable energy which could be blended with the energy produced by the different coal-fired power plants providing power supply to the Luzon grid.
The COHECO official revealed that all the roads that are being constructed by the company will be paved after the completion of the project so that people will be able to experience convenience in travelling to and from their desired destinations within the project sites considering that the construction of the roads was one of the company’s commitment to the indigenous peoples when it secured their free and prior informed consent (FPIC) for the said project.
He stated that people living in the communities that are traversed by the roads have started benefiting from the improved access to existing national roads that is why they no longer have to manually carry their agricultural produce from their farms to the nearest roads linking with the nearest market in the said areas.
Atonen assured the residents of Kibungan and Kapangan that the company is doing everything to fastrack the completion of the project so that the indigenous peoples and the local governments will be able to realize their benefits the soonest possible time.
By HENT