Sixty-five advocacy groups under the umbrella of Power 4 People Coalition have issued a three-pronged demand to the Department of Energy to gurantee them in clear terms that government will no longer pursue the proliferation of coal-fired power plants in the country.
Their appeal was made as the country marks the Nov. 20 National Day of Action Against Coal.
In a six-page letter to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Undersecretary Felix Wiliam Fuentebella, the coalition asked the DOE for an updated list of generation companies that have been endorsed by the agency as of Oct. 27 this year, about the same period that it disclosed a freeze on the future development of coal-fired powered plants.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D., of the San Carlos Diocese, told Negros Now Daily and Negros Weekly that the P4PC also asked the energy department to issue a written moratorium order on endorsements to all pipeline coal projects.
The group, the prelate continued, requested the DOE as well for a separate written order revoking certificates of endorsement already issued to pipeline coal projects.
Seven province-based entities– San Carlos Diocese, Negros Electric Coops Stakeholders Coalition, Coal-Free Negros, Konsyumer-Negros, Linghod, Youth Empowering Youth Initiative and Youth for Climate Hope — joined the call led by P4PC convenor Gerry Arances.
The Environmental Ombudsman Team, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, vice chair and executive director, of the Climate Change Commission, were also furnished copies of the letter.
Alminaza led thousands of youth and non-government organizations that mounted the historic March 6 indignation rally in 2019 that paved the way for the late Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Jr. to issue an executive order declaring Negros Occidental as a coal-free province, prompting San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. to shelve its planned 300MW power plant in San Carlos City.
The protesters, mostly belonging to Linghod, YEYI and Y4CH, were cheering and crying as word came out that the EO was signed.The P4PC letter further explained that they sought for a written freeze order from the DOE on endorsements of all coal projects “since there are varying pronouncements on the coverage of coal moratorium”.
“We further request for a written order…including a clear coverage of pipeline coal projects and an advisory to permitting bodies to stop processing permits to projects covered by the moratorium,” the group reiterated.
Alminaza noted that the DOE’s contention of a moratorium versus coal plants as published in different papers last month was “to force the country into ‘clean energy’ transition.
But it’s not time, he argued, for clean energy advocates to pop the champagne bottle yet, because the DOE qualified that the moratorium will not cover projects that are already endorsed; or those that have already secured permits including environmental compliance certificates or ECC, from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The cessation of coal plant development, according to Undersecretary Fuentebella, will stay until the country will not be in need of additional baseload capacity, he noted.
As far as we know, 13 generation projects have yet to be issued COEs, the bishop added.
There is no order yet so no one is really certain as to which of the proposed coal plants would push through. But based on interviews and statements by the DOE the past few weeks, and also information from some insiders, we have reasons to believe that the Certificate of Endorsement will play a huge role in determining which plants will be covered by the moratorium, Alminaza disclosed.
The bishop’s statement was shared by the Youth of Negros, as he encouraged others to share the same on their FB wall.
We are, therefore, basically demanding that COEs will not be issued by the DOE to 13 coal plant projects,
These are the SMC Global Negros Coal-Fired Power Plant project in San Carlos City; RPEI Coal-Fired Power Plant of Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc.; Supercritical Pulverized Coal Thermal, Masinloc Power Partners; SRPGC 2×350 MW Coal-Fired Power Plant Project, St. Raphael Power Gen. Corp.; Global Luzon Coal-Fired Power Plant, Global Luzon Energy Dev’t. Corp.; Mariveles Coal-Fired Power Plant, Mariveles Power Generation Corp.;
KEPCO Pangasinan Coal-Fired PP, KEPCO Phils. Corp.; H and WB PCB Supercritical Coal-Fired PP, H and WB Asia Pacific Corp.; SMC Circulating Fluidized Bed Coal-Fired PP (1), SMC Circulating Fluidized Bed Coal-Fired PP (2), Merbau Coal-Fired Thermal PP, Merbau Corp.; SMC Global Power (4x82MW), SMCGPHC and SMC Luboc Malabuyoc Coal-Fired PP, also of SMCGPHC.
The 10 generating companies, whose COEs are recommended for revocation are GN Power Dinginin Supercritical Coal-Fired PP, Masinloc Expansion Project, GN Power Kauswagan Clean Coal-Fired PP, Palm Concepcion CFPP, Ozamiz CFPP, Quezon Coal-Fired Thermal PP, SMC Malita Power Plant Phase II, FDC-MPC CFB Coal-Fired Thermal PP, DMCI CFB Coal-Fired PP, and Atimonan One Energy (AOE) CFPP. – ETLoretizo
