Semirara deferring increase in coal output

MANILA, Philippines — Semirara Mining and Power Corp. is deferring the increase in coal output from its mine in Semirara Island to 2020 after completing the rehabilitation of its most recently closed mine, company officials said.

The company has altered its work program to give way to the rehabilitation of the Panian Pit, Semirara president and chief operating officer Victor Consunji said.

Originally, Semirara has an approved work program to increase the coal production from 12 million metric tons (MT) in 2016 to 16 million MT in the next two years after its amended environmental clearance certificate (ECC) was approved.

Panian Pit was closed in October 2016 following the depletion of its mineable coal reserves as certified by the Department of Energy (DOE) and was sought to be rehabilitated first.

“The work program was totally altered to accommodate the early rehabilitation in Panian so we made the necessary adjustment,” Consunji said.

In making the adjustments, all of Semirara’s equipment allocated for the expansion are currently being used in the Panian Pit rehabilitation.

“It was diverted to early rehabilitation so all the equipment for the expansion went to the rehabilitation,” Consunji said.

“That portion of the equipment will go back to production by 2020,” he said.

As for the status of the rehabilitation, Semirara is half way through the program and is looking to finish in the second half of 2019.

“We will finish in the next one year then we’ll start planting because we’ll plant at the start of the rainy season,” Consunji said. “We should finish around September, October at the latest.”

Last year, Semirara’s coal production reached a record high of 13.2 million MT, while max output is 14 million MT.

Semirara CFO Junalina Tabor said they were not able to reach the maximum output last year since some equipment were delayed.

“At least last year, we already have the capacity for 14 million MT,” she said.
Semirara currently has two operating mines in the island which are the Molave and Narra Pits, of which about 70 percent of its production is for local demand, while the rest is for export.

Previously, it had the Unong Mine in the island—which ceased operations in 2000 and is now fully vegetated with thriving aquatic population in its restored lake 17 years after.