BACKGROUND
The 345-megawatt (MW) San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Project (SRMP) in San Manuel, Pangasinan was constructed by a consortium composed of Marubeni Corporation, Sithe Philippines Holdings, Inc., and Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. The SRMP was identified as a priority project under the National Power Corporation’s 1996-2005 Power Development Plan. Although the SRMP was solicited through public bidding, it would still have been passed as an unsolicited proposal if the public bidding had failed.
The SRMP was constructed for the following purposes:
- To utilize the Agno River for power generation and irrigation.
- For flood control and water quality improvement.
The SRMP projected an annual energy generation of 1,065 gigawatt-hours (gWh) from the 345-MW hydroelectric power plant, the irrigation of approximately 70,800 hectares of agricultural land, the provision of storage floodwaters which, otherwise, would have flooded the Pangasinan plains, and the improvement of water quality of the Agno River which, otherwise, would be polluting the downstream rivers. The power generated by the SRMP is also in line with the government’s thrust to lessen the country’s dependence on expensive imported fuel oil and to have a viable mix of power generation.
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Plant Name |
345-MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Project |
Name of Independent Power Producer |
San Roque Power Corporation |
Power Plant Structure |
Hydroelectric power plant utilizing Casecnan and Taan Rivers as sources of hydroelectric power |
Location |
San Manuel, Pangasinan |
Installed Capacity |
345 MW (three units at 115 MW per unit) |
PROJECT RATIONALE
National Power called for the development of new power facilities to support the country’s economic growth. One of the candidate power projects at that time was the SRMP. The SRMP has several purposes: power generation of approximately 1,000 gWh every year from an installation of 345 MW; irrigation of approximately 87,000 hectares of land for the Pangasinan plains, the provision of storage floodwaters which, otherwise, would have flooded the Pangasinan plains, and the improvement of water quality of the Agno River which, otherwise, would be polluting the river downstream. The project was approved by the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority as one of the projects for development by the government.
Because of the multipurpose benefits of the SRMP, its implementation is a multi-agency effort, with National Power taking the lead in its development. Other government agencies involved in the project were the Department of Budget and Management, the National Irrigation Administration, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Finance.
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