Post by admin on Oct 3, 2013 6:40:47 GMT 8
Palawan may lose UNESCO status if proposed coal plant pushes through
GMA News
Oct 2, 2013
Palawan might lose its status as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve if the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant pushes through.
The 15-megawatt coal plant by the DMCI Power Corporation was intended to be built in the municipality of Narra, but faced such strong local opposition that the developer was not able to get the local LGU endorsement needed to continue, according to a WWF-Philippines news release.
DMCI now intends to transfer the construction of the coal-fired power plant to the municipality of Aborlan.
Meanwhile, students from the Western Philippines University organized a march on Monday from Narra to Aborlan, Palawan to protest the proposed coal plant.
Around 1,500 protesters—consisting of representatives from civil society, the academe, and Aborlan locals—participated in the march, said Dr. Lita Sopsop, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the university.
“We oppose the coal plant because of the negative impacts to health and the environment, particularly to locally declared fish sanctuaries in the area. Hanapbuhay ng mga tao dun ang fishing. The discharge of waste water from the coal plant will cause thermal pollution that is hazardous to the marine ecosystem, especially coral reefs,” Sopsop said.
Opposition: price, health and environmental risk
The price of electricity for the proposed power plant is also expected to be higher than the price of power from indigenous, cleaner renewable energy projects and is being questioned by local Palawan NGOs, WWF-Philippines release said.
The price of electricity that the proposed coal plant will sell is pegged at Php 9.38/kwh. This is expected to rise to Php10.51/kwh with VAT added – a price much higher than the Php 6.59/kwh electricity rate expected to be produced by a hydropower project being proposed in the province.
Current hydropower projects in the region could save an estimated 750 million pesos a year from fossil fuel cost and mitigate around 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, WWF-Philippines said.
Proposed plant 'a travesty'
“To build a coal plant in a place all Filipinos have worked so hard to conserve for so many years, when cheaper, cleaner alternatives are available, especially with the looming threat of climate change, is just a travesty,” said Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, Vice-chair and CEO of the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines).
“Why should Palawan buy more expensive, dirty power when we have cleaner, cheaper alternatives available?” said Atty. Gerthie Mayo-Anda, Executive Director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) and convener of the Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE)
Mayo-Anda noted that the whole country will pay for the electricity as well due to the subsidy that NPC-SPUG (National Power Corporation – Small Power Utilities Group) areas receive from the national government.
Palawan – last ecological frontier
Palawan was declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1990, classifying the province as a “site of excellence where new and optimal practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated.”
Palawan is also considered the “last ecological frontier” of the Philippines. www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/philippines/palawan/
It also holds two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Underground River. — TJD, GMA News
Source: ph.news.yahoo.com/palawan-may-lose-unesco-status-proposed-coal-plant-054951230.html
GMA News
Oct 2, 2013
Palawan might lose its status as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve if the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant pushes through.
The 15-megawatt coal plant by the DMCI Power Corporation was intended to be built in the municipality of Narra, but faced such strong local opposition that the developer was not able to get the local LGU endorsement needed to continue, according to a WWF-Philippines news release.
DMCI now intends to transfer the construction of the coal-fired power plant to the municipality of Aborlan.
Meanwhile, students from the Western Philippines University organized a march on Monday from Narra to Aborlan, Palawan to protest the proposed coal plant.
Around 1,500 protesters—consisting of representatives from civil society, the academe, and Aborlan locals—participated in the march, said Dr. Lita Sopsop, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the university.
“We oppose the coal plant because of the negative impacts to health and the environment, particularly to locally declared fish sanctuaries in the area. Hanapbuhay ng mga tao dun ang fishing. The discharge of waste water from the coal plant will cause thermal pollution that is hazardous to the marine ecosystem, especially coral reefs,” Sopsop said.
Opposition: price, health and environmental risk
The price of electricity for the proposed power plant is also expected to be higher than the price of power from indigenous, cleaner renewable energy projects and is being questioned by local Palawan NGOs, WWF-Philippines release said.
The price of electricity that the proposed coal plant will sell is pegged at Php 9.38/kwh. This is expected to rise to Php10.51/kwh with VAT added – a price much higher than the Php 6.59/kwh electricity rate expected to be produced by a hydropower project being proposed in the province.
Current hydropower projects in the region could save an estimated 750 million pesos a year from fossil fuel cost and mitigate around 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, WWF-Philippines said.
Proposed plant 'a travesty'
“To build a coal plant in a place all Filipinos have worked so hard to conserve for so many years, when cheaper, cleaner alternatives are available, especially with the looming threat of climate change, is just a travesty,” said Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, Vice-chair and CEO of the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines).
“Why should Palawan buy more expensive, dirty power when we have cleaner, cheaper alternatives available?” said Atty. Gerthie Mayo-Anda, Executive Director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) and convener of the Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE)
Mayo-Anda noted that the whole country will pay for the electricity as well due to the subsidy that NPC-SPUG (National Power Corporation – Small Power Utilities Group) areas receive from the national government.
Palawan – last ecological frontier
Palawan was declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1990, classifying the province as a “site of excellence where new and optimal practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated.”
Palawan is also considered the “last ecological frontier” of the Philippines. www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/philippines/palawan/
It also holds two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Underground River. — TJD, GMA News
Source: ph.news.yahoo.com/palawan-may-lose-unesco-status-proposed-coal-plant-054951230.html