THE long-delayed Agus-Pulangi Hydropower Plants rehabilitation project has already cost the government more losses in opportunity costs, recently claimed Engr. David A. Tauli, consultant of the Lanao Power Consumers Federation.

An earlier report said, even Power for People Coalition (P4P), a network of civil society organizations, cooperatives, and consumers raised concern over the decision to immediately pursue the rehabilitation project through a P16.71 billion loan, set to be managed by the Department of Finance, led by Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.

The repair of the hydropower complex owned by the government through the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) and operated by National Power Corporation (NPC) was already included in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 during the Mindanao Power Forum 2021 on May 25 last year.

“The losses of the PSALM from the Agus hydropower plants alone would have already been sufficient to cover the cost of rehabilitating the Agus-Pulangi plants,” said Tauli.

He said because of the delays in their rehabilitation the total estimated losses of PSALM in the period 2015-20 were pegged at P25,600,000,000.00.

“It’s (P25.6b) due to reduced generation of the Agus hydropower plants,” said Tauli.

Tauli added that while the total losses of PSALM in the said period due to spillage of water from the Pulangi 4 hydropower plant was estimated at P8,500,000,000.00.

“It's a whopping P34,100,000,000 losses for the two hydroelectric plants for the period 2015-2020.

As reported by Napocor Vice President, Mindanao Generation Edmundo A. Veloso, Jr., said the long-planned rehabilitation of the decades-old Agus-Pulangi hydroelectric power plants in Mindanao has an estimated cost of P20 billion pesos loan for the feasibility study and preparation of tender documents.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and NPC aim to complete these documents by December 2021, after which public bidding could be started.

The Forum, with the theme, “Building Back Better Mindanao: A Sustainable and more Resilient Power Landscape” organized by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) was attended by around 500 people in-person at the venue and online via Zoom.

Tauli also added that one of the main comments raised at the chatroom during the Forum on the long-delayed rehabilitation of the hydroelectric power plants, as well as the increase in rates that consumers are paying because the PSALM has been reportedly ordering the waters of the Pulangi 4 (P4) hydroelectric power plant in Maramag, Bukidnon to be dumped (instead of using it for its intended purpose to produce electricity), so that it could provide ancillary services for the Mindanao Grid.

“The longer PSALM delays the rehabilitation of the Agus-Pulangi plants the greater the losses to the government of the Philippines,” said Tauli.

Consumer advocates have long suspected that the only reason PSALM has been delaying the rehabilitation of the APHEC is to enable the hydro plants to be sold cheaply to the generating companies when the APHEC is privatized, according to Tauli.

The Forum also showcased the initiatives of MinDA in the development of renewable energy resources in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (Ceed) also urged the national government to immediately start the overdue rehabilitation.

Ceed executive director Gerry Arances said the immediate rehabilitation of Agus Pulangui hydropower will help Mindanao reap the benefits of a clean energy facility that was underutilized for decades.

The proposed APHCP restoration, according to Arances aimed to ensure the reliability of the power supply in Mindanao.

“Skyrocketing prices demonstrate to us the urgency fuel-based away from fossil fuels and Mindanao now has the opportunity to do that,” Arances said.

Arances said that the Agus-Pulangui should be the starting point for a rapid and massive transition from coal and fossil fuel-based energy in Mindanao.