The Philippines is the 12th largest nation in the world, and presently, only an estimated 70% of the population has access to electricity. With population growing rapidly in recent years, the country is facing increasing concerns over potential power outages. The government is currently taking short term emergency actions to reduce grid demand, while working to improve system reliability for the long term by introducing additional generation capacity. Hydropower is an attractive solution for achieving this goal given that it is a source of clean and sustainable energy utilising established and reliable technologies. It currently represents 18% (approx. 3,500 MW) of installed capacity in the country.
We are working on behalf of Energy World International to provide concept design options for a proposed hydropower scheme in the Luzon region. The project proposes to construct a 90m tall dam on the Kanan River to provide 145MW of hydroelectric power. The power generated from the project will be supplied to the national grid during peak periods to help meet existing demands for electricity. We provided hydrological assessment, seismic assessment, geohazard desk study, concept design and specifications for further site surveys for the proposed scheme.
Identifying risks and reducing uncertainties
The Philippines is known to be a highly seismic area due to its location within the Pacific Ring of Fire, therefore earthquake loading is a significant feature of the outline design. We were able to apply our knowledge and experience from previous work in the region to carry out further analysis and derive the estimated peak ground acceleration that was taken forward to design. Through our in house GIS database, we were also able to quickly identify hazards such as landslides, flash floods, and typhoons for the proposed project area which aids in anticipating possible design issues.
Next step
Part of our work has been to prepare specifications for further studies and site surveys to ascertain the site conditions for latter stages of design. The next phase of the project is to conduct topographic surveys, ground investigations, and catchment analysis for the project area, leading to detailed design.
