Philippine company Hydrocore Corp has applied for clearance on indigenous peoples' interests to enable it to build the Ibulao mini hydro scheme in the country.
The 4.7MW run-of-river project would have three vertical Kaplan turbines, each rated at 1.57MW. The units would operate under a net head of 10.8m and the rated power is based on rainy season flows on the Ibulao river of approximately 50m3/sec. The river is a tributary of the Magat reservoir.
Hydrocore says that 2% of the gross proceeds from the Ibulao plant should go to the local community, and that taxes accrue to locals after the end of its seven year tax-free period.
According to the Philippine Information Agency, the Ibulao scheme would be the second mini hydro plant proposed for the landlocked Ifugao province in the Coreillera administration region of Luzon. The other proposed scheme is the smaller, Ambangal micro project in Kiangan.