The difference in demand and supply makes the province dependent on the 80 to 100 MW it gets from the Tongonan geothermal power plant in nearby Leyte province tapped through the 18-kilometer submarine cable of the Leyte-Bohol interconnection project (LBIP).
The TWG will have its initial meeting on February 20, 2009. TWG will determine which among the Bohol river basins are suitable sites for hydroelectric power plants and conduct studies, assessments and evaluations, invite resource persons and obtain pertinent data from appropriate government offices, the academe, persons or entities. TWA will then prepare the comprehensive project profile preparatory to the project feasibility study and look around for funding sources including official development assistance (ODA) such as the World Bank’s energy funding.
Local sources talked about include the Bohol diesel power plant in Tagbilaran owned by the National Power Corp. (Napocor), the Janopol hydroelectric plant in Balilihan town owned by the Bohol I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Boheco-1) Janopol Mini Hydro Corp., the Loboc hydroelectric plant in Loboc town owned by Sta. Clara International, and the Sevilla hydroelectric power plant in Sevilla town owned by Boheco 1-Sevilla Mini Hydro Corp.
Even after LBIP, the province still experiences power outages sometimes because of trouble in the lines on the Leyte side hence.
Renewable Energy Act of 2008 aims to accelerate the exploration and development of renewable energy resources like biomass, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and ocean energy sources, including hybrid systems, to achieve energy self-reliance, through the adoption of sustainable energy development strategies to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Coupled with the ongoing National Transmission Corp. (Transco) Bohol backbone transmission project which will replace existing poles with high-tension steel towers, establish a new “backbone” from the Ubay substation to the Corella substation and upgrade 69 kilovolt (kV) lines to 138 kV, the hydro power plants will finally give the province dependable power for the expected increase in consumption with the start of construction and operationalization of the Panglao Bohol International Airport.
TWG members to study the possible harnessing of Bohol ’s river basins for hydroelectric power includes the governor as chair; Asisclo Gonzaga, former president of Napocor and Transco as co-chair; and the director of the Visayas Field Office of the Department of Energy or his permanent representatives as vice chair.
Other members included are the general manager or president of Sta. Clara International, the general manger of Boheco 1, the manager of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Tagbilaran branch, the chair of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Environment, the chair of the Provincial Cooperative Development Council, the provincial planning and development coordinator, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, the head of the Bohol Environment Management Office, the provincial legal officer and the mayors of the municipalities with identified river basins for hydroelectric power development.
