Magat Dam 

is a large rock-fill dam in the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The dam is located

along the Magat River, a major tributary of Cagayan River. The construction of the dam started in
1975 and was completed in 1982. It is one of the largest dams in the Philippines. It is a multi-
purpose dam which is used primarily for irrigating about 85,000 hectares (210,000 acres) of
agricultural lands,[1] flood control, and power generation through the Magat Hydroelectric Power
Plant.
The water stored in the reservoir is enough to supply about two months of normal energy
requirements.[1]
The construction and appurtenant structures was authorized by Presidential Decree No/ 693 signed
on May 7, 1975 by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The Magat Dam was constructed in 1978
and inaugurated by Marcos on October 27, 1982[1] and started operations in 1983.[2]
Implementation of this multipurpose project was based on the preliminary study conducted in 1973
by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with the assistance of the United States Bureau of
Reclamation (USBR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Subsequent detailed and extensive dam site investigation and engineering studies further confirmed
the feasibility of what is now known as NIA's most daring infrastructure project and one of Asia's
biggest dams today.
It was Southeast Asia's first large multipurpose dam.[3] The dam is part of the Magat River
Multipurpose Project (MRMP) which was financed by the World Bank and whose purpose is to
improve on the existing Magat River Irrigation System (MARIS) and to triple the production of rice in
the Cagayan River basin.[1]
The project was jointly financed by the Philippine Government and the World Bank which extended a
US$150M loan to finance the foreign exchange requirement. In addition, a US$9M loan
from Bahrain was obtained for the purchase of other equipment for the diversion tunnel, soil
laboratory and model testing. The total project cost is US$3.4B (yr. 1975).
The dam was constructed to last for 50 years but increased siltation and sedimentation in the
reservoir, slash-and-burn farming, illegal logging and fish-caging resulted in the deterioration of the
dam's watershed. The 1990 Luzon earthquake also contributed to the increased siltation in the
Magat River system. Because of this, on January 2006, then President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo instructed various government agencies to create a rehabilitation plan to improve the lifespan
of the dam system.[3]
The non-power components such as the dam, reservoir, and intake gates are owned, operated, and
managed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). The hydroelectric plant was formerly owned
by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR).[1] Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of
2001 (Republic Act No. 9136), the Magat hydroelectric power plant underwent
a privatization process. As a result, the plant's ownership and operation was turned over to SN
Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc. (SNAP-Magat), a joint venture of a local company, Aboitiz Power
Corporation (AP), and a Norwegian firm SN Power in April 2007.[1] SNAP won the bidding in 2006.[4]