Environmental groups, LGUs oppose coal plants

MANILA, Philippines - Environmental groups and local government units in Ilocos Norte and Batangas have joined calls against the establishment of coal-fired power plants.

Led by the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), the environmental groups held a rally at Mendiola recently expressing their opposition to 20 coal-fired power plants being constructed across the country and 19 other coal contracts in the pipeline.

“A lot of countries, including the US and EU,  are phasing out coal. How come coal is now booming here in the Philippines?” Glenn Ymata, energy campaigner of PMCJ said in a statement.

“Developing countries like the Philippines have become the dumping ground of coal,” Ymata added.

He noted that the local governments of Ilocos Norte and Batangas stopped issuing permits for coal-fired power plants and are pursuing renewable energy sources.

“There is too much coal in Batangas. We need to take care of our environment,” Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said in an interview over ABS-CBN.

Batangas has the largest power plants that run on natural gas.These plants have a combined capacity of 2,797 megawatts (MW).

The Ilocos Norte provincial board earlier approved a resolution to eliminate coal from its power supply.

“No office or instrumentality of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte shall issue any permit, authorization, endorsement or any expression of support to the development of coal projects in the province,” the resolution stated.

With a 264-MW installed wind energy capacity as of 2015, Ilocos Norte is dubbed the wind energy capital of the country.

 The province is also emerging as the country’s renewable energy capital with the development of the 5-MW Agua Grande hydroelectric power plant in Pagudpud and solar farms like the 20 MW solar power facility of Soleq Philippines Inc. in Barangay Paguludan in Currimao as well as the 4.1-MW and 2.6-MW solar farms in Burgos.