• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE) has welcomed Energy Secretary Sharon Garin’s assurance that the national government has no plans to establish a coal-fired power plant in Negros.
In a statement following the joint congressional hearing on the Visayas power crisis in Bacolod City Oct. 3, the advocacy group said Garin’s stance honors the island’s long-standing opposition to fossil fuels.
“This assurance recognizes the island’s opposition to coal and must translate into consistent respect for existing local ordinances and coal-free policies,” the NICE said. “Our communities’ choice of a clean energy future must guide government action, especially during a power crisis.”
The group emphasized that Garin’s recognition of solar energy paired with battery storage as an immediate intervention requires concrete follow-through.
NICE called on Energy officials to conduct a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of renewable power generation alongside right-sized battery storage, energy efficiency programs, demand response systems, and upgraded transmission infrastructure.
“Negros Occidental already has a framework on which to build: the SecuRE Negros Roadmap, or the Negros Occidental Energy Sector Development Strategy and Action Plan. Its vision of reliable, renewable, affordable, available, accessible, and sustainable energy should anchor the province’s response,” the group stressed. | TMD
