The Biggest rock filled dam in Asia, Ambuklao Hydroelectric Dam is considered one of the huge projects that

happened in
the Cordillera Area, one of the first two Dams constructed along Agno River (the other is Binga DAM) during the early
1950's. Concerning it's hydraulic structure, NPC's Ambuklao Dam, have a height of nearly 100 m in the upstream of the
Agno.

Ambuklao Dam 
The Ambuklao Hyroelectric Plant is located in the mountains of Bokod, Benguet and is about 36 kilometers northeast of
Baguio City. The plant was designed to provide 75 MW (megawatts) of energy to the Luzon grid. It utilizes the Agno River
which is the longest waterway in the Island of Luzon.

During the 50's the Ambuklao dam was the highest and biggest in the Far East. It is made of earth and rockfull which
measures 129 meters in height and 452 meters in length. The elevation of its crest is 758 meters and the roadway that
runs through the top of the dam has an elevation of 756 meters. There are 8 Tainter radial gates at the dam's spillway.
Each spillway measures 12.5 meters by 12.5 meters and is 127 meters in length. The gross storage capacity of the dam's
reservoir is 327,170,000 cubic meters and it has a usable storage capacity of 258,000,000 cubic meters. The drainage
area is 686 square kilometers and is 11 km long with a maximum width of 1 km.

Upon the direction of Philippine President Manuel A. Roxas, the National Power Corporation, in cooperation with
Westinghouse International, took a survey of the country's hydroelectric potential and prepared the Philippine Power
Program in 1948. It's major undertaking was the Ambuklao Power Project. Construction of the project began in July 1950
when President Elpidio R. Quirino was at the helm of the Philippine government. It took six years and 5 months to
complete the construction. Operation of this hydroelectric facility finally started on Dec. 23, 1956 during the administration
of President Ramon F. Magsaysay. Selected as the contractor for the dam's civil works was the Guy F. Atkinson
Company and the Harza Engineering Company of Chicago was hired as the engineering consultant.

River Basins

The river basins of the Cordillera have enormous water-bearing capacity. They have a total drainage area of 5,447,500
hectares and groundwater storage of about 150 million cubic meters. According to government development planners,
this is more than sufficient for supplying the irrigation and energy requirements of the entire Northern Luzon.

Major Cordillera River Basins and their Drainage Areas

River Basin Drainage Area
Abulog-Apayao 444,500 ha.
Chico 1,049,400 ha.
Magat 1,366,00 ha.
Abra 512,500 ha.
Amburayan – Naguillian – Aringay 687,400 ha.
Agno – Bued 1,387,700 ha.
Total 5,447,500 ha.

Denuded Forests, Critical Watersheds

Most of the forests that support these river systems have been declared as reservations. The classification of forests as
watershed reservations has largely been associated with hydropower and irrigation dam projects.

Long before any dam project was undertaken Cordillera, though, the Central Cordillera Forest Reservation was already
created. The American colonial government in the Philippines decreed its creation in 1929, settings aside 74,631 hectares
of land for the purpose.

Mount Data National Park is part of this reservation. It comprises 7.38%, covering 5,512 hectares.
To ensure the variability of existing and prospective dams, the Marcos government decreed the creation of several
watershed reservations.

Dam – associated Watershed Reservations

Reservation Land Area
Ambuklao Watershed Reserve 10,000 ha.
Upper Agno (Ambuclao – Binga)
Watershed Reserve 73,350 ha.
Chico River Basin Forest Reserve 351,762 ha.
Abulog River Basin Forest Reserve 195,659 ha.
Lower Agno (San Roque)
Watershed Reserve 39,304 ha.
Total 670,075 ha.

Binga Dam 

The Binga Hydroelectric Plant is located at Barrio Binga in Itogon, Benguet Province. It is about 31 kilometers (19.3 miles)
east of Baguio City and 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) downstream of the Ambuklao Hydroelectric Plant. From Baguio, the
hydroelectric plant can be accessed through Itogon or by taking the same route that leads to Ambuklao Dam in Bokod.
The route through Itogon is much shorter and has a better maintained roadway.

The construction of the Binga Hydroelectric Plant started in August of 1956 with the Philippine Engineers Syndicate, Inc.
taking charge of the civil works. It took 3 years and 7 months to complete the project. Full operation of this facility began in
March 31, 1960 - just about 3 years and 3 months after the Ambuklao Hydroelectric Plant was completed.

The dam which was constructed along the Agno River is 215 meters (705.4 feet) long and 107.37 meters (352.3 feet) high
with a 94.50-meter (310 feet) long spillway. It is made of earth and rockfill and has 6 Tainter gates measuring 12.5 meters
by 12 meters (41 feet by 39.4 feet) with hoists that are motor driven. The crest of the dam has an elevation of 586 meters
(1,972.7 feet) and on top of the dam is a roadway which is 8 meters (26.3 feet) wide. To generate electric energy, the dam
relies on a reservoir which has a drainage area of 936 square kilometers (361 square miles). The length of the reservoir at
its widest portion is about 2 kilometers and the distance of backwater from the dam measures 10 kilometers.

The San Roque Dam, operated under San Roque Multipurpose Project (SRMP) is a massive gated spillway of 200
meters height, 1.2 kilometer length embankment dam on the Agno Riverspanning the municipalities of San
Manuel and San Nicolas, Pangasinan, nearly 200 km north of Metro Manila.

The dam impounds a reservoir with a surface area of about 12.8 square kilometers extending North into the municipality
of Itogon, Benguet. A gated spillway protects the dam from overtopping. Each wet season, the run-off is stored for later
release via water turbines to generate power and irrigate crops.

Agno River is the third largest river in the Philippines with a total length of 221 kilometers and a drainage basin at the
Project site of 1,225 square kilometers. The river originates in the Cordillera Mountains, initially flows from north to south,
divides into several channels in the flat central plain of Luzon and meanders westerly through the provinces of
Pangasinan and Tarlac before emptying into the Lingayen Gulf.
San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC) financed and constructed the SRMP under a power purchase agreement (PPA)
with the National Power Corporation (NPC) on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. SRPC substantially completed the
SRMP at midnight, February 14, 2003, at which time its peaking power, irrigation, flood control and enhanced water
quality benefits became available to the surrounding regions, which include the Northwest Luzon Economic Growth
Quadrangle. In reality, all but its power benefits have been available since mid-2002 when the dam and spillway were
completed.

Ownership of the dam and spillway was transferred to NPC upon construction completion, as it contributed funds for the
non-power components on behalf of several agencies. SRPC will own and operate the power generating facilities for 25
years, after which their ownership transfers to NPC.