The continuing saga of the Tamugan River row between Aboitiz’s Hedcor Inc and the Davao City Water District (DCWD) has the former calling a press conference to appeal to DCWD to pave the way for joint development of the area.

This river row sparked from Hedcor’s plans to setup a Hydro Electric Power plant in the area. DCWD blocked the plans by claiming prior approved rights over the river. The city mayor and city council tried to mediate but DCWD just wouldn’t budge saying that a hydro electric plant in the river would stem the flow of water to the area. Mayor Duterte has called for the courts to settle the dispute as mediation bogged down.
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ICS Renewables Inc, a newly established biofuels firm, was awarded by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) the rights to the hydro electric power plant in Sitio Pasalan, Bgy. Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental. The company won the contract with a winning bid of $230,000.

The plant is currently providing only 30% of its rated capacity. ICS Renewables will initially invest P15 M in order to rehabilitate it to its designed capacity. Another P45 Million will be allocated to upgrade the plant, which they are estimating to take about 3 years to accomplish.
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Micro Hydro Electric Power Plant is usually classified as a hydro electric power plant that can produce up to 100 kW of power. They are usually used to supply energy to small off-grid communities that have a natural water source close to it that never runs out.
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Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV) are the scourge of any man made structure encased in a moving fluid (be it air or water). Prof Michael Bernitsas of the University of Michigan however views them in a more positive light and is developing a way to harness power from the slow moving fluid.

He had already acquired some funding from the US Military to develop early prototypes which he hopes to test in a river soon. The system, which he dubbed VIVACE (vortex-induced vibration for aquatic clean energy), is of a modular design and can generate 51 watts per cubic meter of water flowing at three knots.
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According to an article in a Davao newspaper, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and other city officials, have given up in mediating the Tamugan river use row between the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and Aboitiz Group’s Hedcor subsidiary as both parties cannot agree to share the river. They are now asking the courts to settle the issue between both parties.

Hedcor was open to making changes to their hydro power plant designs so as to accommodate DCWD’s use of the river as a water supply but DCWD didn’t find their plans acceptable.
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Looks like it has all been left to Davao City Mayor, Rodrigo Duterte, to decide the fate of two interested stake holders of the Tamugan river in Davao City.

He has asked for more time to decide the matter as it is technical in nature and needs further consulting. He has however assured that the decision would be fair and legal.

In one corner is the Aboitiz Group’s Hedcor subsidiary, who plans to tap the river waters to provide electricity to the Mindanao grid via a hydro electric plant. On the other corner is the Davao City Water District (DCWD) the franchise holder of water distribution in Davao who plans to tap the water in the river to satiate a city’s thirst.
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