Agus-Pulangi hydropower rehab eyed for completion by 2028
Agus VI Hydroelectric Power Plant (PSALM photo)
Plans to rehabilitate the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex are expected to make significant progress within the next three years.
On the sidelines of the EJAP Economic Forum 2025, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto told reporters that the rehabilitation of the aging 1,001-megawatt (MW) Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex is on track and will likely be carried out through a public-private partnership (PPP).
“It’s moving forward... I don’t have it with me right now, but within the term of [this] administration, hopefully,” he said when asked about the timeline for the rehabilitation works.
The Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex consists of seven power plants owned by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM). Its first units began commercial operation 25 to 50 years ago. Due to aging infrastructure and other technical issues, the plants currently generate only 600 to 700 MW of their installed capacity.
PSALM president Dennis Dela Serna previously confirmed that the power complex would undergo a PPP once it secures a commercial transaction advisor.
Prior to the current Marcos administration, the Department of Finance (DOF) had stated that the hydropower plant rehabilitation would be financed by the World Bank before retiring coal plants in Mindanao. During the Duterte administration, retrofitting works were pitched for possible financing from China, but the Marcos administration abandoned this plan.
The renewed interest in the Agus-Pulangi rehabilitation follows the recent privatization bidding for the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) hydroelectric power plants. Recto believes the private acquisition of the CBK plants would benefit the government.
“It will generate something like ₱35 billion, which is good. Additional revenue for the government,” he said in the ambush interview.