SAGAY CITY --  Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon  Jr. yesterday said two government funded hydro power plants will soon rise in Negros Occidental to help mitigate the lack of locally produced power.

The governor said the lack of locally produced power that has put Negros Occidental at the mercy of high-priced supply from other provinces,  has been caused by protestors who opposed the entry of coal power plants in Negros.

Where are those people who protested against the coal plants, what  can they  do for Negros Occidental  now? he asked.

The governor noted that it takes time to put up power plants in an area.

He said the provincial government is putting up a 9-megawatt hydro power plant at the Mambukal Resort in Murcia soon  to produce electricity for the resort’s consumption and for sale to the Central Negros Electric Cooperative.

The Sagay City government is also  is building a 12-megawatt hydro plant  for the city’s consumption and for sale to the V-M-C Rural Electric Service Cooperative, he added.

The standard estimate is  a hydropower plant will l cost $1.5 to 2 million per megawatt capacity, he said.

Another hydro plant is also being planned for the  Ilog Hilabangan River, he said, noting that Negros Occidental rivers have the capacity to produce about 200 megawatts.

However, the building of hydroelectric power plants in Negros Occidental has been stalled by service contracts granted for almost all the rivers in the province to a firm  identified as Century Peak by the Department of Energy, that were supposed to expire in October last year,  he said.

However, until now the DOE has not cancelled such contract, he added.*CPG

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