(The Philippine Star) | Updated October 14, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -
Semirara Mining and Power Corp. expects no interruption in its coal production
even if it has fully exhausted mineable reserves in its Panian Pit as it has
two more coal mines in Antique, its top official said.
In a disclosure to the
Philippine Stock Exchange, Semirara said it received a Department of Energy
(DOE) certification dated Sept. 26 certifying and confirming the depletion of
the mineable coal reserves of the Panian Pit of Coal Operating Contract (COC)
No. 5.
“The corporation’s coal
production in Panian Pit has ceased effective Sept. 26, 2016,” it said.
The certification,
signed by DOE Undersecretary Donato Marcos, was a result of validation made by
the DOE technical staff from Sept. 20 to 21.
“Thus, the
corporation’s coal production in Panian Pit will cease and rehabilitation of
the area shall be undertaken,” the company said.
Panian is one of the
open-pit mines in the 55-square kilometer area in Semirara Island, apart from
the Unong Mine which ceased operations in 2000.
Two fatal accidents
took place in the said mine. In February 2013, a fatal landslide also occurred
at the mine site in Caluya town that had trapped 13 miners. Another landslide
happened in July 2015 which took the lives of nine coal miners.
Despite the Panian Pit
depletion, Semirara still has two operating mines in the Semirara Island, which
are the Molave and Narra Pits, its company chairman said.
“We are already
operating Molave and Narra Pits. No disruption in operations,” Semirara
chairman Isidro Consunji said in a text message.
In February, Semirara
secured an environmental certificate compliance (ECC) for a total project area
of 3,825.25 hectares within COC No. 5 and this includes the Narra and Molave
coal project at Barangay Semirara, Caluya, Antique.
Semirara expects a
total of 16 million metric tons (MT) of coal production annually from these
mines.
Recently, the company
was put under fire when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) issued a show cause order to explain why violations were committed in in
its Molave Coal Mine Expansion Project based on complaints of the local
communities in Antique.
The issue is still
being scrutinized by the DENR even as the DOE cleared Semirara of all
environmental-related issues based on audits.
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