Solons back coal-fired power plants with adequate safeguards

Some legislators expressed support yesterday for the use of coal-fired power plants provided the necessary environmental safeguards are in place.

Rep. Cirilio Alipio Badelles and Rep. Rodolfo Bacani, House energy committee chairman and vice chairman, respectively, and Rep. August Bacullo, ecology committee chairman and Rep. Eileen Ermita-Buhain (1st district, Batangas) made this assessment after a tour of the 600-megawatt Calaca power plant in Batangas.

"We are now even supportive of the 200-MW coal plant in Northern Mindanao which the government has programmed to beef up Mindanao’s capacity," said Badelles and Bacullo. The lawmakers are saying they believe there is no harm in operating coal-fired power plants.

"We came here (Calaca) because we wanted to get educated especially since there is a pending resolution in the House calling for an inquiry into the operation of coal plants in the country," Badelles said during an open forum following their visit to the Calaca power plant.

For his part, Calaca Mayor Jerry Katigbak said his office has been coordinating with members of Congress to clarify the issues that have come out regarding the operation of the 600-MW Calaca coal plant.

"Newspaper reports have depicted our barangays as if these are killing fields. This is very unfair to us. We have been inviting people to come here and get a first-hand account of what is really happening," Katigbak said.

Katigbak denied newspaper reports of health and environment hazards posed by the plant. They also held dialogues with the members of the community and NGO representatives.

Henry Alcalde, Calaca plant manager, told the legislators that the plant complies with all environmental regulations at present, including the additional requirements posed by the implementation of the Clean Air Act.

"The sulfur content limit the fuel used in the plant is now 0.7 percent even though we can meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act if our coal had a sulfur content of 0.9 percent. There are measures and technologies now designed to make coal a clean fuel and we have been adopting these," he said.

Katigbak said the communities living in the vicinity of the plant have not made any complaint regarding the safety of the plant.