Greenpeace, Padalipdan, Zamboanga residents say ‘No’ to coal-fired power plants

Zamboanga City residents and two environment groups on Wednesday are opposing the possible use of coal-fired power plants to address the power shortage in Mindanao.   Greenpeace and Padalipdan Southern Mindanao, as well as Barangay Talisayan chairperson Josephine Pareja said at a press conference Wednesday in Quezon City they are worried that government would use the energy summit in Davao City on Friday to push for constructing more coal-fired power plants in Mindanao.   Such a move would do more harm than good to the people of the region, they said.    The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) already issued an Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) for San Ramon Power Inc. (SRPI) to build a 100-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Talisayan, said Pareja.   But the barangay official said they were not consulted about it, adding that they are opposing the venture because it will contaminate their waterways with mercury.   "Kami ang ma-a-apektuhan, hindi po sila, pero 'di nila kami kinonsulta," she said.   "PNoy said that he will allow Mindanaoans to decide what power we want.  Well, we don't want coal, we want a clean energy future for Mindanao," she added.   Why is there a need to build a 100-MW power plant in their area when the power shortage they have is between 20 to 30 MW? she asked. "Saan po ibebenta yung 70 to 80 MW?"   At the same press conference, Juland Suaso of Padalipdan said Aboitiz Power Corp. also plans to build a coal-fired power plant in Davao City.   Aside from the possible effect on fishing–the residents' main livelihood–Suaso said the project might generate conflict in the area as Aboitiz plans to move the Muslim cemetery within their 52-hectare property.   "Sa kanilang [Muslim] tradisyon ‘di dapat maalis ‘yun," he said.   He noted the cost of electricity would likely go up, because of the unstable price of coal, and likely be passed on to the consumer.   Suaso claimed the output from the coal-fired power plant would not be for Davao residents, but for the 1,000-MW requirement of mining companies with foreign investors who want to operate in Mindanao.   'Gold mine' of renewable energy   Greenpeace Southeast Asia executive director Von Hernandez said the government–particularly President Benigno Aquino III–should focus on implementing the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP).   "Why are they investing heavily in coal instead of tapping that vast renewable energy proposal?" he said.   According to the NREP, Mindanao is sitting on a "gold mine" of renewable energy resources that have yet to be tapped, Hernandez noted.   He said there is potential for an additional 1,263.9 MW from hydropower, 336 MW from wind power, 36.8 MW from biomass energy, and 5-kilo Watt-hours per square meter from solar power.   "Bakit hindi ‘yun ang investment? You're talking about what kind of future you want for Mindanao, bakit hindi tinitingnan ang options na ito?" he told GMA News Online in an interview after the press conference.   "Mindanao has the potential to become significantly almost 100 percent [dependent on] renewable energy," he added.   Hernandez said that since the passage of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, investors have committed more than $1 billion to the NREP.   "This is in danger of being squandered away because of the government's inability to move on," he said.   Government is being held back by the feed-in tariff rates pending before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Hernandez noted.   The right energy mix   In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, Energy Undersecretary Josefina Asirit denied they would use Friday's summit to push for more coal-fired power plants.   "The coal-fired power plants are [the] business decision of investors, they came even before this crisis," she said.   "DOE is not pushing for coal, but that is what is there in the pipeline," she added.   Government is not considering only coal among other sources, although coal has its advantages, the Energy official noted.   Coal-based power plants can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at its optimum capacity, according to her.   "That kind of generation mix is needed in Mindanao... Because of the seasonality of water and climate change, we do not want that we are too heavily dependent on water alone," she said.   "Renewable energy [has an] impact [on the] grid, not all renewable energy are consistent... but it doesn’t mean that we are not pushing [for the use of renewable energy]," she added, saying several proposals on renewable energy are pending before the department.   Asirit said 32 percent of power plants in Luzon, 33 percent in Visayas, and 11 percent in Mindanao run on coal.   At least three groups are set to build coal-fired power plants in Mindanao, with 200 MW expected to be generated by 2014, she said, claiming the department would not compromise the respective places that would host coal-fired power plants.    Several areas in Mindanao are experiencing daily rotating brownouts due to an output shortage among existing power plants.   Late last March, DOE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau director Mylene Capongcol said the projected peak demand in Mindanao is 1,280 MW but the available capacity is only 1,200 MW. —VS, GMA News