SAN ROQUE DAM. The water reservoir at the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town, Pangasinan on April 24, 2024 is at 230.45 meters above sea level almost at its critical level. The San Roque Power Corporation, however, assured continuous supply of electricity to the grid and enough irrigation requirements. (Photo by Hilda Austria)
SAN MANUEL, Pangasinan – An executive of the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC) on Wednesday assured continuous supply of electricity to the grid and to the irrigation system amid the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.
SRPC Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility Tommy Valdez, in an interview, said the power plant is currently providing the 115 megawatt minimum requirement to the grid while it is being run at mass flow rate.
"Tapos na (ang) cropping season (the cropping season is over) and irrigation was not sacrificed," he said.
Valdez said the hydro power plant was able to irrigate 36,000 to 40,000 hectares of land in the last dry cropping season amid the dry spell.
"More than enough for irrigation requirements," he said.
He said the water level of the dam's reservoir is currently at 230.45 meters above sea level (masl), almost at its critical level of 225 masl.
The plant may even reach the critical level and maintenance shutdown may be done on May 6, earlier than the set schedule in the third week of next month, but Valdez assured power consumers that this is a normal activity for the plant during hot season when energy from coal-fired power plants are more relied upon.
"We are mandated to have maintenance shut down for one week or two. But our re-regulating pond will run for river ecology," he said.
Valdez said they are hoping for rainwaters in the coming months to elevate the level of the water reservoir in time for the wet cropping season of the farmers. (PNA)
