Court of Appeals asked to stop coal plant construction in Subic

No To Coal-Indigenous People’s group from a tribe in Olongapo City accompanied by No to Coal Stakeholders Coalition storms the Court of Appeals to file a complaint against the building of RPEI ( Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc.) Coal plant which will displace local IP tribes in the area and is posing danger as it is being built near the airport -MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

An anti-coal group on Tuesday asked the Court of Appeals to stop the construction activities of a coal plant which will cause aviation hazard and negative effect to the environment.

In its 38-page petition, the group Subic Bay Freeport Chamber for Health and Environment Conservation (SBFCHC) as well as the No to Coal Stakeholders Coalition of Subic Bay said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) gravely abused its discretion in granting the permit for the construction of the 144-m high Power Plant with CFB boiler with a smokestack of 150 meters above sea level.

“Aside from the threats of environmental degradation and dangers to our health, we are now also bothered with the safety issue after discovering that the smokestack is directly along the path of the approach of planes landing to the airport strip which is less than 3 km from the coal power plant. It will be manslaughter if plane crashes given the proximity of the airport and the safety issues about the effect of the emissions generated by the coal power plant to aircraft,” said Alex Hermoso of No to Coal Stakeholders Coalition of Subic Bay.

“It is a clear violation of the law that includes over extending the height of the smokestack above the allowed limit that they applied for in the first stance,” Hermoso added.

Petitioners said the structure is along Sitio Nalatore, Barangay Cawag, Subic, Zambales which falls within the approach/departure surface of Runway 07 of the Subic Bay International Airport.

They said the 150m dual smokestack will be part and parcel of a plant which is expected to use turbines, fluidized bed technology, electrostatic precipitators, high level tension wires and other current technology only 700 feet below final approach.

“Due to the magnetic interference it generates, the 150m dual smokestack will impair not only the aircraft instruments but the accuracy of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) primary radar,” petitioners added.

Meanwhile, Atty. Aaron Pedrosa, Secretary-General of Sanlakas and one of the co-petitioners, said the coal plant project will hamper the growth of Subic Bay and nearby areas “as it would render the existing runway unfit for use. Residents will be robbed of their airport for a plant that would not even produce a single watt of electric power for Subic.”

“RPEI’s coal plant should not be allowed to take off. It is a deadly proposition for Subic for its impacts to health, environmental, climate and now air travel,” added Pedrosa. /je