The Hedcor Tudaya, Inc. yesterday officially broke ground for the construction of the 7 megawatt Tudaya Hydropower 2 Plant in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. Hedcor president Rene Ronquillo and the local and government officials of Davao del Sur led the groundbreaking ceremonies. The new hydropower plant will be constructed at Barangays Astorga and Rizal in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur harnessing Sibulan River. It will rise downstream of the Sibulan Hydro B plant, 200 meters away from the Davao-Cotobato highway. The generating facility will primarily deliver 40.5 gigawatt-hours annually to Davao del Sur Cooperative, Inc (DASURECO) which can power more than 7,000 homes. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremonies – which was attended by Sta. Cruz mayor Joel Ray Lopez, vice mayor Alexis Almendras, Davao del Sur Provincial officials, Bagobo-Tagabawa community and private sectors – Ronquillo said, “we shall soon have another hydropower plant in Sta. Cruz, a new plant that will deliver solely to Davao del Sur through DASURECO. Both the mayor and the vice mayor of Sta. Cruz expressed their gratitude to Hedcor for choosing their municipality as a partner on this endeavor. Datu Rogelio Manapol of Bagobo-Tagabawa and chairman of Kapiid Ka Banua said, “Hedcor is true to their promise of helping our tribe in terms of health care, education, livelihood and reforestation. We are grateful for their CSR projects.” The Tudaya hydroelectric power plant’s generated carbon neutral electricity is seen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. It will be registered under the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project that will sell certified emission reduction units (CERs) to industrialized countries. “As an AboitizPower company and as one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the country, the Tudaya Hydro 2 is our contribution to the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” Ronquillo said. The construction of the power plant is estimated to be completed by 1st quarter of 2014 with an investment of 1.8 billion pesos. The project will likewise open more than 400 employment opportunities to locals and bring more benefits to the host communities through its Corporate Social Responsibility programs.
