Sunstar Cebu
THE government stands to lose 200 megawatts if Kepco shuts down their power plant, as the company has nowhere to throw their coal ash, said Capitol and power plant officials yesterday.
“If we will not be allowed to temporarily dump our ash, we may be forced to cease operation,” Kepco’s lawyer Guillermo Dabbay Jr. told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday in response to a court order.
Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda said the people of Cebu cannot afford to lose 200 megawatts of power supply, which Kepco is capable of generating.
As this developed, Talisay City-based environmentalists observed “water activity” off Barangay Colon, Naga City near a coal-fired power plant that Kepco reportedly owns.
The Sea Knights, a group of divers that includes some priests, conducted an ocular inspection and water testing at the site yesterday after observing the activity from a mountain site in Camp Magdo, Naga City.
The group visited the site and took a video of what appeared to be boiling water some 100 meters from shoreline.
Disturbing
“We found it quite disturbing observing that (water activity) from the mountain. It is too near the shoreline to discharge thermal waste water," said Fr. Charlie Orobia, the group's spokesman.
Orobia said the 15-man team was joined by Naga City Vice Mayor Delfin Señor during the activity yesterday morning.
As to the power situation, Department of Energy-Visayas Director Antonio Labios recently said 610 megawatts were added to the power supply in Central Visayas, and this stabilized the region’s power supply, after sporadic brownouts in 2009.
Capitol and power plant officials met after Regional Trial Court Judge Marlyn Lagura Yap issued a temporary environmental protection order (Tepo) to Kepco-Salcon Power Corp. (SPC) and the power plants in Toledo City, prohibiting them from disposing of their coal ash “outside” their premises.
In the same order, the court ordered the Toledo Power Corp., Cebu Energy Development and Global Business Power Corp. to dispose of their coal ash only in an identified landfill in Barangay Lindahan, Toledo City.
Clarification
Dabbay said they will seek clarification with the court next week on its order prohibiting them from dumping “outside” their premises.
He said their two existing ash ponds are both outside their premises: one is right across the street inside their sister company’s premises, SPC, and the other is in the
Balili property in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City.
Balili property in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City.
He said the Balili coal-ash dumping facility complies with the conditions set by its
environment compliance certificate (ECC) issued by Environmental Management Board.
environment compliance certificate (ECC) issued by Environmental Management Board.
“My reading of the Tepo is we cannot indiscriminately dump our ash outside our plant,” said Dabbay, adding that the main issue here is to put an end to indiscriminate dumping.
Dabbay, who is Kepco-SPC Power Corp. corporate secretary and general counsel, said they will ask the court for another ocular inspection, for the judge to appreciate that the ash pond they are requesting has complied with all environmental laws.
“If coal ash will be dumped in a landfill facility that has all the permits issued by appropriate government agency, I don’t see how it can be viewed as indiscriminate,” Dabbay told Sun.Star Cebu.
Dabbay, with some Kepco officials, met yesterday with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Provincial Attorney Marino Martinquilla and Capitol consultant Sepulveda.
Pollution
The group of divers, meanwhile, measured the “water activity” off Naga City to have a diameter of 110 meters. Orobia said they also tested the waters for salinity and acidity or pH. The results were acceptable or normal.
They observed thermocline or a sudden change of temperature of the seawater.
“This is something (suggesting that) probably there is thermal pollution," said Orobia
Orobia said heavy siltation was also observed by the divers with a depth that ranged from a few inches to one foot.
Orobia said heavy siltation was also observed by the divers with a depth that ranged from a few inches to one foot.
He said they did not take samples because they do not have equipment to conduct sediment analysis.
“It’s a different kind of mud. We have been diving for many years,” said Orobia.
In a separate interview, Naga Mayor Val Chiong said “the temperature of the seawater is okay.”
“There allegedly was a fish kill, but no dead fish was found,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
“They said it smelled of chlorine.”
Chiong said he called Kepco-SPC yesterday to ask the officials to explain.
He said the company admitted to using chlorine but only at low concentration. Chiong
said he asked the company to submit a report.
said he asked the company to submit a report.
Chiong said he will meet with Kepco-SPC officials today.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 24, 2011.
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