Hedcor to build 3 more mini hydro power plants in Benguet

April 21, 2018 Community Billboard

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET – Hedcor Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, will build three more mini-hydro power plants in the province this year, officials revealed on Monday (April 16) before the Benguet Provincial Board members.
Bill Haboc, assistant vice president for Business, Community and Government Relations of Hedcor, said on Monday that one plant will be built in the town of Kibungan while the other two will be constructed in the municipality of Sablan, all in Benguet province.
Haboc said when completed, the three plants would have a total generating capacity of 92 megawatts. “The Department of Energy (DOE) has already endorsed these three plants,” said Haboc, adding that the next steps would be the consent of the host communities, especially the Indigenous Peoples residing at the project site, and the endorsement of the provincial government.
Haboc, together with other Hedcor Inc. officials led by Andy Faelnar, assistant vice president for Administrative Services, presented the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in 2017 and this year aside from the other programs during the regular session of the Benguet Provincial Board.
“We are committed to develop and continue developing mini and small hydro power plants within Benguet and nearby provinces and municipalities for as long as we are accepted by the community.” Faelnar said.
“We could not build projects without community acceptance. The ultimate challenge we are facing now are getting government permits and consent from the community,” he added.
Hedcor Inc. operates 10 mini hydro plants in the whole Cordillera region, nine of which are in Benguet and one in Mountain Province – specifically in the town of Sabangan.
The nine hydro power plants in Benguet are spread in the municipalities of La Trinidad, Tuba, Itogon, Bakun and Sablan, hosted by 15 barangays.
Connie Mapalo, Hedcor’s administrative manager, said that for this year their company has allocated a total of P6.3 million for CSR projects for the province. In 2017, it spent a total of P5.7 million for the same purpose.
These CSR projects are focused on education, which include scholarship programs, computer donations and repair of school buildings; health- medical missions and water systems; and on the environment such as construction of Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), tree planting (watershed protection) and river clean-up (Balilli River).There are also livelihood projects such as food processing, water refilling and hog raising. PRIMO AGATEP, PNA / ABN