Spare Palawan from ‘dirty coal’ emissions

Business Mirror

23 Oct 2013 

 

Written by Jonathan L. Mayuga

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan —Environment-friendly solutions provider World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) called on various stakeholders to invest in renewable energy (RE) to energize the province and protect its pristine environment from “dirty” coal.

Lory Tan, WWF-Philippines vice chairman and chief executive officer, issued the call at the launch of its “Seize Your Power Campaign” in Palawan.

Palawan, according to Tan, is rich in potential clean, RE sources waiting to be tapped.  He said that the province’s RE potential remains largely untapped, which could energize the province and veer away from fossil-fuel power plants.

Palawan is host to the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project, which provides power supply equivalent to 40 percent of Luzon’s energy requirement.

Aside from natural gas, Palawan is also rich in potential wind, solar, hydro power and even biomass fuel.

“The technology is there. We have experts in the fields, and all we need are serious investors.  Renewable energy, in the next five to 10 years, will be selling like lechon,” Tan said.

Palawan was picked as one of the global campaign’s iconic places because of its exceptional levels of biodiversity and biological productivity.

Threatened by a plan to construct a coal plant in Aborlan, Palawan’s natural resources and environment provides home and sanctuary to a number of endemic species of wild flora and fauna.

The Palawan Alliance for Clean energy, a coalition of local non-governmental organizations pushing for indigenous RE solutions, is supporting WWF-Philippines in calling on Palawenos to reject a proposed coal-fired power plant project in the town of Aborlan.

Palawan’s uniqueness makes it the perfect example in providing RE solutions, Tan said. 

“Palawan does not need to be connected to power grids,” Tan said.

“Renewable-energy sources are abundant and even small hydro power plants, biomass fuel, or even wind and solar energy or a combination of any of these can generate energy enough to supply electricity for the province,” he added.

Palawan’s energy need, Tan said, is relatively small compared to other densely populated provinces. With proper investment, even communities can put up their own small RE plant to be energy self-sufficient, he said.

Palawan is the only place in the country with negative “carbon footprint” because of its vast forests.  About 90 percent of the province’s land area is still covered with forests.  This means that carbon sequestration is so high that it can offset all the carbon emission and still maintains a negative carbon footprint.

Palawan has every reason to reject proposals to put up coal-fired power plants in the province, he said. According to Tan, local officials are tempted by investors pushing for “dirty coal,” rather than investing in clean RE.

Palawan is considered a United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Man and Biosphere Reserve and is home to two Unesco World Heritage Sites— the famous Tubbataha Reef and the Puerto Princesa Underground River.

WWF-Philippines believes that to allow coal-fired power plants to operate in Palawan will threaten not only the health of its people, but the health of Palawan’s unique ecosystems.

“People in Narra have already rejected coal.  Now, there are offers to put it up in Aborlan,” Tan said.

WWF-Philippines said that since 2010, small hydropower plants have been proposed for Puerto Princesa, Narra and Aborlan.  But these projects have not been able to obtain contracts with local distributor Palawan Electric Cooperative.   source