Prime Infra sets watershed safeguards for $5-B Laguna hydro project
Enrique Razon Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Prime Infrastructure Holdings Inc., led by billionaire Enrique Razon Jr., has vowed to address environmental vulnerabilities tied to the development of its $5.03-billion pumped storage hydroelectric power project in Laguna.
On Wednesday, Prime Infra said its wholly-owned subsidiary Ahunan Power Inc. had submitted its integrated watershed management plan to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Calabarzon region.
Ahunan is developing a 1,400-megawatt pumped storage hydroelectric power project, designed to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in Asia.
It noted that the plan—which would focus on watershed and forest conservation, watershed protection and water management—had been crafted following “extensive” stakeholder consultations.
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Addressing vulnerabilities
The blueprint will be implemented in close coordination with the DENR, Laguna Lake Development Authority and the local government units of Pakil and Paete.
According to the group, the assessment found that the two subwatersheds are “highly susceptible to rain-induced landslide and soil erosion, while the low-lying areas within the Pakil River Watershed (portion of Pasig-Marikina-Laguna de Bay River Basin) close to Laguna de Bay are susceptible to flooding.”
The two watersheds are the Pakil River Watershed and the Malaking Ilog-Tibag Watershed. /dda
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