BOKOD, Benguet – The water level in the three major power plants in Northern Luzon, which are the source of electricity for numerous areas, has already stabilized because of the continuous rains. These hydro plants could now generate sufficient power to be infused to the Luzon grid to add up to the dwindling supply, a ranking official of the SN Aboitize Power Corporation Benguet (SNAPB) said.

Lawyer Mike Hosillos, SNAPB vice-president for external affairs, revealed the water level in the 75-megawatt Ambuclao dam already reached 745 meters above sea level which is just a few meters below the 752 meters above sea level high water level of the 60-year old power plant.

On the other hand, the 100-megawatt Binga dam, which is located downstream the Ambuclao dam, particularly in nearby Itogon town, has a convincing 568 meters above sea level water elevation which is also just a few meters below the 575 meters above sea level high water level.

In the case of Magat dam located in the boundary of Ifugao and Isabela, Hosillos claimed the water level in the 360-megawatt power plant is now pegged at 170 meters above sea level or just a few meters below the 180 meters above sea level high water elevation.

The SNAPB official pointed out they are hoping that the rains will continue to pour so that the reservoirs of the dams will be filled up so that their operations will be sustained in order to help address the alleged insufficient power being supplied to the Luzon grid.

According to Hosillos, the inflow of water in the three dams has become promising over the past several weeks that resulted in the increasing water elevation which translates to better power production for the benefit of all consumers in the Luzon grid.

At present, Ambuclao and Binga dams are undergoing massive rehabilitation by the private operator, SNAPB, in order to improve their power production through the installation of state-of-the-art equipment as well as the construction of new water intake for the said plants.

The two power plants located along the Agno river were constructed in the early 1950s in order to provide power for the expected rapid population growth in the Luzon area.

Considering that Ambuclao is continuously releasing water to control its water elevation, Hosillos claimed the Binga dam will surely be filled up in the coming days and will be able to reach its high water level thereby allowing it to generate power during the peak hours or when the grid so demands.

During the onslaught of the prolonged drought over the past five months, the three dams recorded very low water levels prompting them to temporarily shut down since the water levels have dropped to record-breaking ones that rendered the power plants non-operational for quite some time.