DENR certifies P25B, 300MW coal-fired power plant in Davao

Aboitiz Power Corp. said Friday its P25-billion, 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant project has received an environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In a statement, Aboitiz Power said the certificate its subsidiary Therma South Inc. got signifies that the project has complied with regulatory requirements and that it will not cause significant negative environmental impact once operational. The Environment Management Bureau of the DENR issued the certification on September 9, signed by the bureau's officer-in-charge, director Juan Miguel Cuna. “We are happy to receive the ECC and AboitizPower, true to its promise of building a clean, safe and efficient power plant, will ensure that the facility will meet Philippine environmental standards as required by the certificate," said Manuel Orig, Aboitiz Power first vice president for Mindanao Affairs. The environmental certificate orders Therma South to “implement the measures... intended to protect and mitigate the project’s adverse impacts on community health, welfare and the environment". The project in Davao is just one of Aboitiz Power's efforts at addressing the impending power shortage in Mindanao, expected to be short of around 480 megawatts by 2014 — enough to cut power supply to the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Butuan and Zamboanga. Mindanao's heavy dependence on hydropower coming from the Agus-Pulangi complex has become a bane for the island-region, since power production is less during the summer months and long dry spells. Aside from the Therma South project, Aboitiz Power is also building several hydropower plants in Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Bukidnon with a total capacity of close to 46 MW. Aboitiz Power is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services. —JMT/VS, GMA News