Ifugao micro-hydro projects to be replicated in Ecija farming towns, by Desiree Caluza

Monday, June 27, 2005

This province’s community-led micro-hydro power projects will be replicated in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya to energize farming communities there.

The establishment of the micro-hydro plants in the two provinces will provide electricity to the farming villages of Minuli and Capintalan in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, and some villages in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, said Shubert Ciencia, spokesperson of the Rice Watch and Action Network of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement here.

“This has no impact on the environment, you will just use water to make the turbine rotate, so it will not expel pollutants,” Ciencia said.

Ifugaos first used a micro-hydro plant built by the province’s farmers at Barangay Gode in Hungduan town in 1995.

The Ifugao micro-hydro plant has been hailed as an innovative local sustainable energy scheme.

Ciencia said the technology is a “kitchen-garden” project that has to be developed for long-term use.

“[The micro-hydro project] has to be developed to make it work more efficiently. It can light up households, but we have a long-term vision, we hope that this micro-hydro plant can generate more power to provide enough power to industries like rice mills,” Ciencia said.
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Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer