Officials from JICA, Department of Energy, and the Provincial Government of Ifugao will lead the groundbreaking ceremonies this week (January 14, 2014) marking the start of civil works. The construction is expected to finish by early 2015.
The project, according to JICA, will also support the rehabilitation of the heritage Ifugao rice terraces.
"The facility will tap Japanese technology on renewable energy, and harness opportunities to help rehabilitate the rice terraces and support its communities," said JICA Philippine Office Senior Representative Eigo Azukizawa.
The mini-hydropower facility, which will be constructed through JICA’s Grant Aid program, will have an estimated 810-kilowatt capacity by using water from Likud River in Ifugao.
Once operational, revenues from the sale of the electricity from the facility will be used to augment the Rice Terraces Conservation Fund (RTCF), a special fund managed by the Province of Ifugao to support the rehabilitation and conservation of the rice terraces.
"The province of Ifugao is grateful to JICA for giving us this grant. We shall strive hard to manage the project so it can perform optimally, and raise adequate funds for the rehabilitation and preservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces," said Ifugao Governor Denis Habawel.
"We are optimistic that this locally-based energy development project will pave the way for more investment in sustainable and renewable energy given our province’s vast water and forest resources," he added.
JICA added that the project aims to help rehabilitate the community’s irrigation system to help Ifugao farmers. JICA will provide capacity building activities to the power plant’s operators and supervisors to effectively operate and maintain the facility.
Further, a Young Japanese volunteer under JICA’s Japan Overseas Volunteers (JOCV) Program, Chihiro Nakajima, was also deployed to the Provincial Government of Ifugao. Nakajima aims to contribute to the effective implementation of the Rice Terraces Conservation Program and also provide support for the sustainable management of the mini-hydropower plant.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and remains an agricultural wonder for more than 2,000 years.
The project is part of JICA’s support on low carbon growth in the Asia Pacific. JICA, along with other international donors, has been tapping climate change resources for economic development for the past years.
