Trifecta

Sometimes, imagination is the missing ingredient.

- ALEX MAGNO

This is true of the way we have traditionally pursued our water management initiatives. We tended to look at the dams we built as sources of fresh water and mechanisms to generate hydropower. But these facilities could also be used to help us manage flooding.

The upcoming Green Energy Auction 3 (GEA-3) conducted by the Department of Energy promises to unlock thousands of megawatts of clean energy by tapping into stable and reliable supplies of water. This involves integrating our dams with complementary impounding facilities to hold excess rainwater. The complementary facilities could in turn be used to add to our hydropower capacity.

GEA-3 will provide a roadmap to optimizing our water supplies while reducing our dependence on dirty energy sources. While adding to our potable water supplies and hydropower, the forthcoming infrastructure will make flooding more manageable.

Redesigning our energy strategy to work in combination with flood management requires time. It takes between five to 10 years to develop new water infrastructure. It is correct to extend the horizon for our energy planning. This is precisely what GEA-3 is all about.

Increasing the share of green energy requires not just building new water impounding facilities. It requires future-proofing our energy grid, adjusting power dispatch rules and improving the flexibility of existing hydropower units. Right now, we urgently need a comprehensive assessment of technical, environmental and regulatory factors to support the development of new hydropower facilities.