Hydropower is electricity generated using the energy of moving water.

Rain or melted snow, usually originating

in hills and mountains, create streams and rivers that eventually run to the ocean. The energy of that moving water can
be substantial, as anyone who has been whitewater rafting knows.
This energy has been exploited for centuries. Farmers since the ancient Greeks have used water wheels to
grind wheat into flour. Placed in a river, a water wheel picks up flowing water in buckets located around the wheel. The
kinetic energy of the flowing river turns the wheel and is converted into mechanical energy that runs the mill.
In the late 19th century, hydropower became a source for generating electricity. The first hydroelectric power
plant was built at Niagara Falls in 1879. In 1881, street lamps in the city of Niagara Falls were powered by hydropower.
In 1882 the world’s first hydroelectric power plant began operating in the United States in Appleton, Wisconsin.
A typical hydro plant is a system with three parts: an electric plant where the electricity is produced; a dam that
can be opened or closed to control water flow; and a reservoir where water can be stored. The water behind the dam
flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to
produce electricity. The amount of electricity that can be generated depends on how far the water drops and how much
water moves through the system. The electricity can be transported over long-distance electric lines to homes,
factories, and businesses.Hydroelectric power provides almost one-fifth of the world's electricity. China, Canada,
Brazil, the United States, and Russia were the five largest producers of hydropower in 2004. One of the world's largest
hydro plants is at Three Gorges on China's Yangtze River. The reservoir for this facility started filling in 2003, but the
plant is not expected to be fully operational until 2009. The dam is 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) wide and 607 feet (185
meters) high.
The biggest hydro plant in the United States is located at the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in
northern Washington. More than 70 percent of the electricity made in Washington State is produced by hydroelectric
facilities. Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. That's because once a dam has been built
and the equipment installed, the energy source—flowing water—is free. It's a clean fuel source that is renewable yearly
by snow and rainfall.Hydropower is also readily available; engineers can control the flow of water through the turbines
to produce electricity on demand. In addition, reservoirs may offer recreational opportunities, such as swimming and
boating. But damming rivers may destroy or disrupt wildlife and other natural resources. Some fish, like salmon, may
be prevented from swimming upstream to spawn. Technologies like fish ladders help salmon go up over dams and
enter upstream spawning areas, but the presence of hydroelectric dams changes their migration patterns and hurts
fish populations. Hydropower plants can also cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which is harmful to river
habitats.
HYDROPOWER IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are many hydro electric power plants in the Philippines dispersedly located in the various areas in the
countrysides of Luzon Visayas and Mindanao. Almost all of the large hydro electric plants, which ranged from over 50
MW, are connected to the main transmission grid, while most of small (10 MW to 50 MW) and mini (101 kW to 10 MW)
hydro plants are embedded to the local distribution system.Below is a list of hydroelectric plants in the Philippines.
Almost all of the large hydro plants are completely enumerated while some mini-hydro plants are not yet listed;

Capacity Date
Plant Name Location Current Owner Remarks
(MW) Commissioned
Large Hydro
Luzon
SN-Aboitiz
Ambuklao Benguet 75 1956 decomissioned
Power
Angat Bulacan 246 NPC 1967 - 1993 Dam Type
Luzon Hydro Run - off /
Bakun Ilocos Sur 70 2001
Corp NPC-IPP
SN-Aboitiz
Binga Benguet 100 1960 Dam Type
Power
Run - off /
Casecnan Nueva Ecija 140 CalEnergy 2001
NPC-IPP
 Capacity Date
Plant Name Location Current Owner Remarks
(MW) Commissioned
Pump
Jpower & 1982 / 2002-
Kalayaan Laguna 684.6 Storage/NPC-
Sumitomo 2004
IPP
SN-Aboitiz
Magat Isabela 360 1983 Dam type
Power
First Gen
Pantabangan Nueva Ecija 100 Hydro Power 1977 Dam Type
Corp
Dam type /
San Roque Pangasinan 340 Marubeni/Sithe 2003
NPC-IPP
Mindanao
Lanao del
Agus 1 80 NPC 1992-94
Sur
Lanao del
Agus 2 180 NPC 1979
Sur
Lanao del
Agus 4 158.1 NPC 1985
Norte
Agus 5 Iligan City 55 NPC 1985
Agus 6 Iligan City 200 NPC 1953-77
Agus 7 Iligan City 54 NPC 1982-83
Pulangi IV Bukidnon 255 NPC 1985-86 Dam Type

Small
Hydro/Minihydro
Luzon
Jpower &
Caliraya Laguna 22.6 1942-50/ 2002 NPC - IPP
Sumitomo
Jpower &
Botocan Laguna 20.8 1946-48/ 2003 NPC - IPP
Sumitomo
First Gen
Nueva
Masiway 12 Hydro Power 1980 Dam Type
Eciya
Corp
Feeding from
Baligatan Isabela 6 NIA 1987
Magat
People's
Camarines
Barit 1.8 Energy 1957
Sur
Services
Palakpakin Laguna 0.56 Philpodeco 1933-38
Balugbog Laguna 0.55 Philpodeco 1933-38
Sorsogon
Cawayan Sorsogon 0.4 Electric 2002
Cooperative II
Kalibato Laguna 0.075 Philpodeco 1933-38
Magat A Isabela 1.44 ISELCO 1984 Run-off river
Magat B Isabela 1.08 ISELCO 1985 Run-off river

Visayas
Sta. Clara
Loboc Bohol 1.2 International 1957-67
Corporation
Negros
Amlan 0.8 NPC 1962
Oriental
Mindanao
Bubunawan
offtaker:
Bubunawan Bukidnon 7 Power 2001
CEPALCO
Company
 Capacity Date
Plant Name Location Current Owner Remarks
(MW) Commissioned
Hydro Electric
Talomo Davao City 3.5 Development 1998
Corp
First Gen
Agusan Bukidnon 1.6 Bukidnon 1957 Run-off
Power Corp