Tom: Power plant at SRP not a good idea for now

CEBU, Philippines – The proposed coal-fired power plant at the South Road Properties might not be a good idea at this point in time, said Cebu City South District Representative Tomas Osmeña.

Osmeña told reporters yesterday he is worried that pushing for the coal-fired power plant, which will catch the ire of environmentalists, will create a bad image for the SRP.

The former mayor said a coal-fired power plant is economically and environmentally feasible, but a negative image at this point in time is reportedly unwise, considering that the city is still marketing the SRP to investors.

What he is suggesting to investors, Osmeña said, is the possibility of putting up the plant at the Shell Island.

"I told the investors that they might want to consider Shell Island. I will have a meeting with them on Monday. There's no problem with a coal plant, I'm telling you it's very clean," Osmeña said.

A power plant in Cebu City attracted investors following the power shortage in Cebu and the Visayas area.

The lack of power reserve is leaving a gap between the demand and the supply especially when existing power plants are undergoing preventive or scheduled maintenance or accidental shutdown. The shortage in power is reportedly affecting the economy significantly.

For his part, Mayor Michael Rama said he has no problem having a power plant at the SRP, but believes that there is such thing as clean technology.

He and Osmeña personally observed how a coal-fired power plant is running successfully right beside a mall in the business district of Taiwan.

He said the quality of air within the area where the power plant stands is "generally okay" contrary to the claim of environmentalists here that coal plants release coal ash.

Clean coal technology is developed to reduce the environmental impact of coal energy generation. It minimizes carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants when burning coal to produce fuel.

Normally, the byproducts of coal power production range from fly ash sludge full of mercury, arsenic, and sulfur that can leak into the water supply and can be directly inhaled. (FREEMAN)