MikeLigalig.com

by pna.gov.ph

The builder of a 15 megawatt diesel and coal-fired power plants here expressed hope that it could operate the plant in December to help alleviate the power woes of residents in Palawan.

Lawyer Francis Rubio, David Mendoza Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) corporate secretary and legal counsel, said the diesel-fired power plant will be constructed in a “suitable” site in Barangay Irawan in Puerto Princesa, while the coal-fired is being proposed to be built in Barangay Panacan in Narra, Southern Palawan.

DMCI hopes to finish the diesel-fired project in December this year in Barangay Irawan and the 10MW coal in April 2013 to become operational in September of the same year.

Rubio said both projects have been endorsed by barangay officials of Irawan and the Sangguniang Panlungsod, but they are still waiting for the endorsement of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the municipality of Narra for the coal-fired.

Rubio also said that DMCI is yet to get its Certificate of Compliance (COC) from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)pending the issuance of provisional authority.

Rubio is optimistic that the DMCI will get the green light for the coal-fired power plant from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) for its application in Panacan, Narra.

Around 25 percent of the power plant will be diesel-powered while 75 percent will be powered using coal.

He explained that it would be too costly for the consumers and for PALECO and the National Power Corporation (NPC) if the 15MW power plant would be run by diesel only.

Coal-fired plants could offer lower rate at P9.38 kilowatt per hour as against P12.80/kwh if it will be fully diesel-powered.

Meanwhile, the construction of the coal-fired power plant has caused a stir among caretakers of the environment in Puerto Princesa.

Members of the Palawan NGO Network, Inc.(PNNI) said the plant is not environment-friendly. The PNNI through its representative Elizabeth Maclang deplored the plant's use of coal from Semirara Mining Corporation, the largest coal producer in the country.

"The quality of coals that Semirara is producing is substandard and may only endanger the health of the people in Panacan, Narra," she explained.

She said the place is highly-populated and home to the endangered cockatoos.

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