Lawmakers seek probe of Palawan coal-fired plant

Three party-list lawmakers are calling for a congressional inquiry into a plan to build a coal-fired power plant in the town of Narra in Palawan.

Under House Resolution No. 2164, Representatives Carlos Zarate and Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna and Luzviminda Ilagan of Gabriela sought a probe into the planned 15-megawatt plant owned by D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI).

The lawmakers questioned the decision of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) to grant DMCI a permit to operate the plant “without considering the issues of social acceptability and environmental, health and safety risks to Palawan’s communities and ecosystem.”

DMCI plans to build a coal-fueled power facility in Barangay (village) Bato-Bato in Narra as part of its 25-megawatt contract with the Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco).

The communities in two areas previously considered as sites for the project had rejected the plan until the project was moved to a new location endorsed by the town of Narra and the Palawan provincial board.

“The PCSD seems to forget its mandate to protect the province’s environment [and] establish measures to regulate polluting industries and ensure environmental protection and the well-being of the people,” Zarate said.

“Coal power is considered one of the dirtiest sources of fossil fuels energy and is identified as a major source of global carbon emissions, accounting for 44 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2012,” he said.

Zarate said Palawan already had power reserves of 16.7 MW, or 45 percent more than the capacity of the coal-fired DMCI power plant, “making the establishment of a coal-fired plant in the province unnecessary.”