San Roque now generating 330 MW
SAN MANUEL– Three years after its commissioning, the 330-megawatt San Roque Hydro-Electric Power Dam in Pangasinan can now be harnessed to its full capacity.
According to TransCo President Dr. Alan Ortiz, the multi-million peso 230-kilovolt transmission line built in the area by Marubeni Corporation for TransCo assured the delivery of all of San Roque’s 330 megawatt capacity to the Luzon grid.
Ortiz presided over the ceremonial switch-on of the power line in a ceremony here Tuesday.
The San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC), which operates the hydroelectric dam, can now operate its three generators with the facility to produce renewable hydro power, Ortiz said.
San Roque was only producing 60 per cent of its rated capacity before, leaving two of its power generators idle most of the time.
Ortiz explained that prior to the completion of the 230 kilovolt transmission line, San Roque was generating only from 60 to 80 percent of its full capacity of 330 megawatts.
Marubeni, one of the part-owners of San Roque, built the project at its own expense when both the winning and the second winning bidder backed out.
He believes that since it is rainy season in the northern part of the province, San Roque is now generating power in full.
The water level of the San Roque dam is continuously increasing, set at 12 meters below the spilling level of 280 meters as of Thursday, even if it is no longer raining.
It was observed that San Roque did not spill any water down the lower stream of the Agno River at the height of typhoon “Florita”.
“With San Roque being fully operational and its power fully dispatchable, we have more confidence now that we can have more reliable surplus,” he said.
Ortiz pointed out that since it is hydro power that San Roque produces, the cost of electricity to consumers is minimal.
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