DMCI Power: 65% of areas in Calapan affected by oil spill cleaned

Consunji-led DMCI Power Corp. last Friday said it has contained and cleaned up around 65 percent of the areas affected when oil spilled from a storage tank of its power plant in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

In an statement, DMCI Power said 2.5 hectares of rice land and one hectare of grassland were affected by the oil spill.

"The accident occurred early morning last Monday, after faulty equipment caused the inadvertent overflow of around 800 liters of fuel into the power plant’s tank yard, and surrounding creek and rice fields," the company said.

To contain and clean up the spilled fuel, DMCI Power said it has installed skimmers, booms, and absorbent pillows in the affected areas, and hired over 300 local workers to help in the 24-hour clean-up.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Provincial Environmental Management Unit Chief Alfonso Javier said that DMCI Power was able to contain the oil spill at around 10:00 a.m. of November 6.

"As of November 9, DMCI Power was able to recover over a hundred drums of oily water and 729 sacks of oil-contaminated materials, all of which will be hauled and treated by a DENR-accredited company," the company said.

It added that almost 17,000 man-hours have been devoted to the oil spill cleanup.

The creek surrounding the power plant has been 100 percent clear of oil since Wednesday, it added.

DMCI Power took note that it expects to totally clean up the affected rice fields within 10 to 15 days, depending on the weather conditions in the area.

“The weather in Calapan has been erratic. We’ve experienced heavy rains and sunny weather throughout our cleanup operations. Fortunately, the host community has been very helpful and supportive. The resident-workers have agreed to go on morning and night shifts,” DMCI Power Calapan Plant manager Florante Ylagan said.

The company added that a team is conducting an investigation of the incident.

"Plant operation protocols are also under review to prevent a similar incident from happening again," DMCI Power added. —John Ted Cordero/LBG GMA News