An assessment of the San Roque dam in the Philippines, supported by Friends of the Earth and the International Rivers Network and carried out by a panel of geologists, engineers and hydrologists, has warned that the dam is prone to damage from earthquakes. It is claimed that no site-specific study for earthquakes has been carried out to assess the safety of the dam during a design earthquake. The investigation panel also claimed the dam is designed to handle only minor floods, while it is giving those below the dam a false sense of security.
The privately developed 198m high dam and hydro project is expected to generate 345MW of power when completed in 2003. The US$1.9B project is being financed by loans from the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM) and is being built by US company Raytheon.
