Alarm bells rung on rise in number of coal plants
Government is putting up a 300-MW coal plant in Olongapo City in Zambales
ILOILO CITY – The environmental group Greenpeace on Friday expressed alarm over the increasing number of coal-fired power plants being built in the country, especially in the Visayas.
The group said the construction of more coal power plants in the country would worsen pollution at a time when there is rising worldwide concern over climate change caused by global warming.
The government has at least eight coal-fired power plants lined up for construction or expansion, said Jasper Inventor, Greenpeace Southeast Asia climate and energy campaigner, in a press conference with environmental groups in Iloilo.
Coal everywhere
The coal-fired power plant projects include the proposed 100-megawatt coal plant in Iloilo City, 200-MW plants each in the cities of Naga and Toledo in Cebu and a 100-MW plant in Concepcion town in Iloilo, all in the Visayas.
Inventor said there are also expansion projects in the 300-MW coal plant in Pagbilao town in Quezon and the 300-MW plant in Masinloc town in Zambales.
The government is putting up a 300-MW coal plant in Olongapo City in Zambales and a 150-MW plant in Sultan Kudarat, he added.
“Coal-fired power plants already account for 36 percent of the country’s total CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions,” said Inventor.
“It is time that the government gets serious about exploiting the renewable energy sources that are abundant in our country. Sun, wind and geothermal energy tapping technologies are ready to deliver. What is needed is political will to deploy them.”
Inconsistency
Greenpeace said the coal plant projects are inconsistent with government pronouncements that encouraged the use of renewable sources of energy.
“It shows hypocrisy especially when the President made a speech at the (recent) Energy Summit on concerns over climate change brought by global warming,” said Inventor.
In her speech at the Feb. 5 summit, the President said that “every nation, developed or developing, must assume the mantle of leadership and work to address the challenge of climate change.”
She blamed “the unceasing combustion of fossil fuels on a planetary scale” as the main culprit of climate change.
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - Philippine Daily Inquirer
ILOILO CITY – The environmental group Greenpeace on Friday expressed alarm over the increasing number of coal-fired power plants being built in the country, especially in the Visayas.
The group said the construction of more coal power plants in the country would worsen pollution at a time when there is rising worldwide concern over climate change caused by global warming.
The government has at least eight coal-fired power plants lined up for construction or expansion, said Jasper Inventor, Greenpeace Southeast Asia climate and energy campaigner, in a press conference with environmental groups in Iloilo.
Coal everywhere
The coal-fired power plant projects include the proposed 100-megawatt coal plant in Iloilo City, 200-MW plants each in the cities of Naga and Toledo in Cebu and a 100-MW plant in Concepcion town in Iloilo, all in the Visayas.
Inventor said there are also expansion projects in the 300-MW coal plant in Pagbilao town in Quezon and the 300-MW plant in Masinloc town in Zambales.
The government is putting up a 300-MW coal plant in Olongapo City in Zambales and a 150-MW plant in Sultan Kudarat, he added.
“Coal-fired power plants already account for 36 percent of the country’s total CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions,” said Inventor.
“It is time that the government gets serious about exploiting the renewable energy sources that are abundant in our country. Sun, wind and geothermal energy tapping technologies are ready to deliver. What is needed is political will to deploy them.”
Inconsistency
Greenpeace said the coal plant projects are inconsistent with government pronouncements that encouraged the use of renewable sources of energy.
“It shows hypocrisy especially when the President made a speech at the (recent) Energy Summit on concerns over climate change brought by global warming,” said Inventor.
In her speech at the Feb. 5 summit, the President said that “every nation, developed or developing, must assume the mantle of leadership and work to address the challenge of climate change.”
She blamed “the unceasing combustion of fossil fuels on a planetary scale” as the main culprit of climate change.
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Labels: coal fired plant, greenpeace, olongapo, zambales
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
8:36 PM
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