Caraga hydropower project seen

DAVAO CITY — Residents of Caraga town in Davao Oriental province will soon benefit from the P3.3 billion worth of hydropower project, which consists of three mini-hydropower plants with a total capacity of 20.9 megawatts.

Governor Corazon Malanyaon said the project will address the power woes in the municipality.

Meriam Buguis, consultant of the Volga Power Corp., said they will be using a “run-of-the-river” hydropower facility to tap the flowing waters of the Caraga River, which will generate enough power supply for the town proper and the hinterland communities.

For several years since the project started in 2014, the company already secured the initial requirements, such as Environmental Compliance Certificates, endorsements from the municipal and barangay local government unit, and the feasibility study, while the processing of other requirements are currently ongoing.

With the ongoing groundwork, the company hopes to have the memorandum of agreement for the project signed by January next year to start the construction phase.