/PNA
BAGUIO CITY — The Aboitiz-owned dams and hydropower generation facility in Benguet have been installed with equipment capable of monitoring earth movement, which may affect the structural integrity of the facilities.
Mike Hosillos, manager for corporate communication of SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP), said in an interview Wednesday that there were five accelerographs installed in strategic locations at the 105 megawatts (MW) Ambuklao facility and at the 140-MW Binga Hydro Electric Power Plant.
The equipment records ground acceleration, one of the parameters in conducting seismic analysis of the dams’ structures. The strong motion recorders are connected to control centers so that rapid assessment could be conducted, especially during cases that needed emergency response.
SNAP president and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Yu said the company invested some PHP8 million for the technology.
“The main purpose of these equipment is to monitor the structural integrity of the dams that supply our hydro plants as well as to safeguard the welfare of our employees and host communities,” Yu said in a statement.
The installation of the technologies is part of SNAP’s sustainability and risk mitigation plans to help ensure energy reliability and security of the Luzon grid, he added.
“This undertaking could potentially save lives and assets, as well as ensure the reliability of our services to our customers,” Yu said, adding that “strong motion recorders in our dams could help us reduce cost and risk, and avoid having calamities turn into disasters by initiating early damage-detection.”