Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao!
LAKE LANAO, AGUS RIVER PROVIDE
HALF OF MINDANAO POWER NEEDS
Unknown to many, the vast Lake Lanao, the country's second-largest inland body of water with a total area of 34,000-hectares, is the source of about half of Mindanao's current power requirements.
It is in the 36.5-kilometer stretch of the Agus River which flows from Lake Lanao to the Iligan Bay up north where seven hydropower generation facilities produce almost 800 Megawatts which along with the Pulangui River Hydropower Dams in Bukidnon Province supply 50% of the power consumed by household and industries in Mindanao.
Lake Lanao's elevation of 700-meters, the highest in the country, makes it an ideal area for hydropower generation allowing the Philippine government to establish not just one but seven hydropower facilities.
Known mainly for the beautiful Maria Cristina Falls which drops 94 meters in Iligan City before the water flows into the sea, the first Agus River Hydropower Generation Facility was commissioned in 1953 by then President Elpidio Quirino.
The power generated is distributed all over the island through the Mindanao Grid which is also supplemented by other power generation facilities like the Mt. Apo Mindanao Geothermal Plant and several coal-fired power plants.
As the demand for power increased with the progress and development of Mindanao, the government through the National Power Corporation built six more hydropower generation facilities along the Agus River making it the single biggest power-producing river in the country.
Mindanao will be needing more power in the future but the thrust now is towards renewable energy as greater awareness to protect the natural resources and the environment influences development programs.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is now deeply involved in the planning of future power generation facilities through renewable and sustainable sources.
While there are other major rivers in Mindanao where smaller hydropower generation facilities could be established, the Agus River Hydropower Complex could be the last of the mega-hydropower generation facilities in Mindanao.
#PoweringMindanao!
(This video material was produced by the Beauty and Bounty of Mindanao Media Team for the Mindanao Development Authority. Additional video materials were provided by the National Power Corporation.)