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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Mindanao Development Authority tapped the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soil and Water Management (DA-BSWM) for a cloud seeding operation over the areas of Lake Lanao to trigger increased rainfall and subsequently improve the lake’s water elevation and increase the power generation of the Agus Hydropower Complex.

Based on a week-long assessment conducted by MinDA, DA-BSWM, and National Power Corporation – Mindanao Generation, the water elevation in Lake Lanao is receding from its normal levels due to months of extreme heat.  

“Any reduction of the capacity of the Agus Power Plants is a setback to us since this is a renewable energy, a clean and sustainable source of energy. We are even advocating heavily for the increase of RE investments in Mindanao to achieve our goal of having a 50-50 mix of power generation,” said Wilson Mabale, MinDA Area Management Officer – Northern Mindanao during the multi-agency meeting last week. 

According to NPC-Mindanao Generation, one unit of AGUS IV located in Balo-I, Lanao del Norte, designed to generate 52 MW of precious renewable energy, has already stopped operating because of the low water inflow.  

To prevent this from worsening, NPC through MinDA requested the BSWM for the immediate conduct of cloud seeding operation at Lake Lanao which is the water source of the Agus Hydropower Plants.

Northern Mindanao hosts the state-owned Agus Hydropower Complex, a crucial component of the Mindanao grid. Comprising several hydropower plants along the Agus River, it has a combined installed capacity of over 700 megawatts, supplying a significant portion of the region’s electricity needs. The complex plays a pivotal role in providing reliable and renewable energy to industries, businesses, and households across Mindanao. (MinDA/PIA-10)