Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Coal power plant expansion faces opposition

• GILBERT P. BAYORAN

To protect the Tañon Strait, which lies between Negros Island and Cebu, environmentalists and civil society groups have expressed their vehement opposition to the proposed expansion of a coal-fired power plant of the Therma Visayas Incorporated (TVI) in Toledo, Cebu.

The Department of Energy backed power plant expansion in Toledo, Cebu is located across San Carlos City in Negros Occidental, and adjacent to Tañon Strait, which is a protected seascape under RA 11038 or also known as the Extended National Integrated Protected Area System (ENIPAS) Act.

Aboitiz-owned TVI recently announced the plan to expand its Unit 3 power plant, a coal expansion which oppositors say violates the DOE 2020 coal moratorium, which was intended to lessen coal dependence and lessen the impact of coal plants on the environment and climate.

The Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental was among the civil society groups opposing the coal fired power plant expansion, according to a statement issued by the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED).

The Tañon Strait is known to be the Philippines’ biggest marine protected area with an area of 521,018 hectares, and an important marine mammal area (IMMA) with 14 species of dolphins and whales, including endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphins, and is one country’s major fishing grounds, a vital source of food and income for coastal communities in both Cebu and Negros.

A study by CEED showed that the air quality in what it calls “coal-affected” communities exceeded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) national air quality standards.

It is deeply concerning that DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla, who previously served as an Independent Director at Aboitiz Power, authorized this expansion, contradicting the very moratorium his agency is meant to enforce. This decision raises serious questions on conflict of interest, CEED added.

Thus, it is our call that Secretary Lotilla’s decision to greenlight TVI’s coal expansion amidst the coal moratorium be thoroughly investigated. The Department of Energy should abide by its own rules. It should ensure the strict enforcement of the coal moratorium, given that what is at stake is the ecology, health, and livelihood of the people of Negros and Cebu.*

ARCHIVES

Read Article by date

February 2025
MTWTFSS
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728 

Get your copy of the Visayan Daily Star everyday!

Avail of the FREE 30-day trial.