Kepco promises to contain dust

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday asked officials of Korea Electric Company – Salcon Power Corporation (Kepco-SPC) to put up mitigating measures to contain coal dusts.

In the past weeks, Kepco has been the target of complaints about coal dust reaching houses in Naga City.

Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong complained that dust particles from trucks hauling coal to and from the plant and the plant’s funnel, which is 13 meters above the ground, is bothering residents. He said this poses health risks to residents near the power plant.

Garcia met with Chiong and the officials of Kepco-SPC to discuss the matter.

The governor told Kepco-SPC officials that the Capitol will not accept the next delivery of coal unless these measures are installed. One measure is to cover the stock pile with appropriate material to contain the dust particles.

Kepco-SPC environmental staff, Engr. Neil Miral, assured to secure the area early next month.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau 7 recommended for the power plant to decrease its stacker level from 13 meters to 8 meters. The high distance between the stacker and the stockyard causes the dust particles from the coal to fly. They are also asked to increase the height of the stockyard to three meters.

Also yesterday, the KSPC denied that the report that they are discharging wastewater to the seas of Naga City which is blamed for the degradation of marine resources in the area.

“We want to clarify that the plant does not discharge wastewater into the sea as we treat and recycle all wastewater for power plant use. The pipe is used for the cooling water system of the power plant,” the firm said in a statement sent to The FREEMAN.

KSPC’s denial came after a team from the Knight-Stewards of the Sea, Inc. (Seaknights), which conducted an ocular inspection on the sea about 50 meters from the firm’s coal-fired power plants, discovered bubbles coming from its underwater pipes.

Seaknights, a team of divers and marine biologists, believe that the bubbles could be wastewater discharges from the power plant.

The bubbling water temperature, as measured by the Seaknights, was 30.1 degrees Celsius that Wednesday morning.

Fr. Charlie Orobia of Seaknight said the allowable temperature is 25 degrees Celsius because anything beyond that is already harmful to marine lives.

Jasmin Suma-oy, KSPC’s community relations officer, said it was Mayor Valdemar Chiong who informed them of the issue.

Suma-oy said the “bubbles,” which she admitted were from the “cooling water” taken from the sea and is also returned to the sea through the pipe, are “just normal turbulence” as the water flows through the pipe outlet.

KSPC also maintained that the cooling water pipe they release everyday is “within standards.”

“Even if the surface water temperature rises to 30.5 degrees Celsius, this is only a 1-degree Celsius increase from the baseline of around 29.5 degrees Celsius. This means that the increase in water temperature is within standards, as up to 3 degrees Centigrade is allowed,” read the firm’s statement.

As to allegations that they use chlorine in cleaning the pipes, Suma-oy said they use sodium hypochlorite “at a very low concentration…in all power plants, once in a while” to prevent clogging of the cooling water system.

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or commonly known as chlorine bleach is a chemical compound composes of sodium, oxygen, and chlorine which is used for bleaching and disinfecting.

Berting Aliason, a local fisherman, claimed that he smelled chlorine near the plant, which he believes is the reason he sees dead fish floating in the area.

Aliason said the plant releases chlorinated water three times a week.

His allegation prompted Vice Mayor Delfin Señor to declare that the use of chlorine should be stopped “right away” to prevent any more damage to the city’s marine resources. — (FREEMAN)