Coal news and updates

At least three coal-fired power plant projects in the provinces of Cebu and Quezon have discontinued operations, according to the Department of Energy (DoE).

 

In a correspondence, Mario Marasigan, director of the DoE's Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, said the agency has delisted seven coal-fired power projects "due to non-submission of the required monthly power project updates."

 

Marasigan said that SMC Global Power Holdings Corp.'s two circulating fluidized bed coal-fired power plants in Pagbilao and Sariaya in Quezon, with capacity of 600 megawatts (MW) each, as well as its 300-MW coal-fired power plant in Malabuyoc, Cebu, discontinued operations.

 

The expansion project of San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp.s' 300-MW Malita power plant in Malita, Davao Oriental; Merbau Corp.'s 600-MW coal-fired thermal power plant in Pinamucan Ibaba, Batangas City; and Ozamiz Power Gen Inc.'s 300-MW coal-fired power plant in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental were discontinued.

 

Meanwhile, Orion Pacific Prime Energy Inc.'s 1,200-MW coal-fired thermal power plant is undergoing review as to whether or not it will be exempted from the moratorium on new coal projects.

 

"Regarding the clarification on the issuance of endorsements of relevant RDCs (regional development councils), the DoE is currently reviewing the specific process and will inform you of the official position once done with the review," said Marasigan in a letter to Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED).

 

As for the 2x668-MW coal-fired power project of Atimonan One Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp., Marasigan said the project proponent is "currently in communication with lenders to extend the loan facility given the challenges they have encountered in securing the power supply agreements."

 

"We hope this will lead to the cancellation of other ongoing dirty energy projects in the province of Quezon, especially in Atimonan," said Monsignor Noel Villareal, one of the community and Church leaders behind the coal fight in Quezon.

 

Marasigan wrote the letter on July 1, 2021 in response to CEED's letter seeking clarifications on the coal moratorium that the agency announced last October.

 

Source : https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/05/business