The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have formalized a three-year technical cooperation project to identify large-scale hydropower potential sites across the country to augment clean energy capacity.

The agreement, signed on Monday, by outgoing Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla and JICA Chief Representative Baba Takashi, launches the Project on Resource Inventory of Hydropower Potential Sites, which will begin in September. 

It will focus on cataloging hydropower sites suitable for impounding and pumped-storage technologies with capacities of over 100 megawatts (MW).

“This project marks a crucial step toward harnessing the full potential of hydropower, particularly pumped storage, as a strategic enabler of a power system that is clean, flexible, and resilient,” Lotilla said.

“Japan’s global leadership in hydropower innovation brings immense value to this collaboration. Through JICA’s technical expertise, we gain the tools and insights needed to identify and unlock untapped hydropower resources, laying a strong foundation for long-term investments, rural development, and enhanced energy security.”

The project will proceed in three phases, beginning with the collection of topographic maps, rainfall and flow data, and field surveys for four priority sites. The areas will undergo pre-feasibility studies and serve as models for future investment opportunities under the DOE’s Open and Competitive Selection Process (OCSP).

The initiative builds on the DOE and JICA’s cooperation, particularly a 2012 JICA-supported study that focused on small- to medium-scale hydropower plants below 100 MW. That earlier work helped establish the DOE’s current hydropower database and informed long-term planning and past OCSP rounds.