More talks sought on looming Visayas power crisis

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Plans to build more coal-fired plants and tap more geothermal sources might be put on hold as Catholic church leaders and nongovernment organizations remain firm in opposing these moves to solve the energy shortage in the Visayas. Bishop Vicente Navarra, however, is willing to meet again with Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes on May 19 to discuss the church-led opposition and the Department of Energy’s plans and mitigating measures. Mr. Reyes sought an audience with the bishop before a briefing last week on the power situation. "My position is still the same," Bishop Navarra said on the Church-led opposition. If the government, however, pushes through with its plan to allow the construction of more coal-fired plants and tap more geothermal resources, he said "we cannot do anything about it." The Diocese of Bacolod, along with environmental groups, believe that allowing PNOC-EDC to conduct further exploration inside the Kanlaon park will result in the destruction of 7,800 trees amounting to more than P58 billion and pose a danger to nature. At present, PNOC-EDC’s Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant in Bago City and Murcia town produces only about five megawatts, just a little over 10% of its maximum generating capacity of 49 megawatts (MW). The facility, which was commissioned in February 2007, is intended to generate 49 MW through a geothermal service contract with the DoE issued in 1994, covering 4,310.84 hectares, including the 169-hectare buffer zone. In his letter last month to Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco, Mr. Reyes endorsed the use of the Kanlaon park’s buffer zone by the PNOC-EDC. "Although PNOC-EDC exerted its best effort to explore outside the buffer zone, the production area can only provide a maximum of 17 MW thus, for optimum operation, development of the buffer zone is necessary as the area is expected to generate 20 MW," Mr. Reyes wrote. In a briefing last week, Energy officials said Cebu, Negros and Panay will need 261 MW until 2010 to prevent shortage, or 159 MW for Negros, 88 MW for Panay and 14 MW for Cebu. But the opposition here is not only confined to the plans of PNOC-EDC. The Church, with militant and environmental groups, also frowns on electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental that source power supply from coal-fired power plants. Protests have been mounted against the power supply contract of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative with the KEPCO-SPC Corp., which is building two 100-MW coal-fired plants in Cebu. Both the Bacolod City Council and the La Carlota City Government have filed interventions to the applications of the two cooperatives before the Energy Regulatory Commission for approval of their supply contracts with KEPCO-SPC. Panay situation In Panay, protests led by the Responsible Ilonggos for Renewable Energy (RISE) also continue against the two proposed coal-fired power plants in Iloilo Province. DMCI, Inc. is proposing to construct a 100-MW plant in the northern Iloilo town of Concepcion while the Global Business Power Corp. and Panay Power Corp. are planning a 147-MW plant in La Paz district in Iloilo City. Citing environmental and health concerns, the multi-sectoral group is pushing for the tapping of renewable energy sources which, according to the Affiliated Non-conventional Energy Centers based in Central Philippine University, are abundant in Western Visayas. These include hydro, 300 megawatts; wind, 4,000 megawatts; biomass, 500 megawatts; and solar, 5,000 megawatts. — Nanette L. Guadalquiver, BusinessWorld