Church in Sorsogon steadfast in anti-geothermal energy stance

Business Mirror

26 Jan 2014 

 

Written by Oliver Samson / Correspondent

SORSOGON CITY—The local Church, under the pro-environment lead of Catholic Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, remains steadfast in its anti-geothermal position even as another company was awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE) permit to explore geothermal energy in the province, Diocese Media Relation Officer Rev. Fr. Bong Imperial said.

The DOE’s green signal for Basic Energy could mean intensified effort to locate geothermal energy deposits in the province since Summa Kumagai Inc. (SKI) has an initial exploration permit after the DOE awarded it a contract on February 19, 2010.

SKI’s exploration activities were immediately met with protests, forcing it to temporarily stop the probe.

The negative effects of geothermal energy generation were long since bared in Tiwi, Albay, Father  Imperial said. The impact of geothermal operations on the livelihood of host communities, particularly agriculture, rose above promised benefits.

The SKI technical people said there is no direct proof to attest to the perceived shortage of water supply in host communities, yet the same people admit they will use water in their exploration activities, Father Imperial said.

In that case, geothermal plant operation may cause the depletion of water in the area, which may affect irrigation and eventually result in unforeseen and uncalculated damages on agriculture, he said.

Irosin, the only landlocked municipality in Sorsogon and one of the towns under the contract area, is the rice granary of the province, which consists of 13 coastal towns and one city that is also bounded by the Pacific Ocean.

Aside from agriculture, tourism in the area may suffer badly, Father  Imperial said. The cold and hot springs in Bulusan and Irosin may run dry as a result of geothermal operations. These springs have been a popular destination of tourists for quite a long time now.

“The benefits that may arise from geothermal energy will not match the cost of the combined destruction to the environment, health, tourism and livelihood,” he said.

“There is no certainty to lower power rates,” Father Imperial said. The Bac-Man geothermal plant that straddles the border of Sorsogon and Albay did not bring lower power rates to both provinces, he said.

Albay suffered from a power crisis, which required a private power company to take over the electric cooperative, despite the presence of the Tiwi and Bac-Man geothermal plants in the area, he said.

“The local church is judicious for not risking the province’s last frontier of watershed, the 3,673-hectare Bulusan Volcano Natural Park [BVNP], and the area’s tourism potential,” Father Imperial said.

“The position of the Catholic Church is to protect the people and the environment,” he said. “Definitely, the Church will oppose the move of SKI and Basic Energy to explore, and construct and operate their geothermal plants in the area.”

Benjamin J. Monzon, SKI project manager, said the company does not intend to set up a geothermal plant near the Bulusan Volcano, and that SKI conducted an initial exploration “distant from the volcano.”

“The BVNP, particularly Bulusan Volcano, is not part of our exploration area, nor the potential source of geothermal energy,” Monzon said. “This is the main issue anti-geothermal groups are harping, that we will cause the volcano to erupt and destroy BVNP.”

SKI was authorized by the DOE to probe 25,959 hectares of land, covering segments of the towns of Barcelona, Irosin, Bulusan, Gubat, Casiguran and Juban, for geothermal energy.

Basic Energy’s contract area could be more expansive, according to a source who requested anonimity.

Dr. Precy D. Gante, Irosin Coalition Against Geothermal (ICAG) chairman, in an earlier statement said SKI will sell its shares to AboitizPower.

“SKI is selling its share of stocks to AboitizPower,” she said. “Their lawyers from Puno & Puno law office already came to get the sentiments of host communities. We intend to show our protest against SKI and AboitizPower once again.”

SKI President Albert D. Altura said the issue involving AboitizPower is still being discussed. No deal has been closed yet.

Basic Energy has not yet started its geothermal exploration.   source