According to the historical data of the Department of Energy (DOE), hydropower has contributed significantly to the country` s energy requirements over the years. In 1998, the total hydropower capacity stood to 2,304 MW or 19.09% of the country’s total installed capacity. 3.87% of the total hydro capacity came from 52 existing mini-hydropower plants. Mini-hydropower plant has a capacity of 101KW to 10.00 MW. There are 1,081 hydropower potential sites in the Philippines with an estimated capacity of 13.428 Gigawatts. Mini-hyroelectric power plants are environment friendly and considered as renewable energy because in does not destroy water sheds since the water used to run its generators are run-of-river, unlike large scale hydroelectric plants which require big dams for storage which in turn causes siltation and river degradation.

According to DOE, the investment cost for a mini-hydro project in the Philippines are estimated at Php 60,000 to Php 80,000 per kW (1998 level). Usually, the biggest chunk of the investment cost for mini-hydro project goes to civil works which is around 40%. The service like of mini-hydro plant typically last for more than 15 to 20 years. Mini-hydro plant has a priority dispatch over other types of electric power plant in the country.

references:
Department of Energy, Guide on the Mini-hydropower Development in the Philippines