by Reuters September 20, 2016
MANILA – The Philippines’
environment department has found an expansion project of coal producer Semirara
Mining and Power Corp to be “technically sound”, the company said on Tuesday,
following a government audit of its operations.
Semirara, the Philippines’ only
large-scale coal producer, and dozens of miners in the Southeast Asian country
underwent an audit launched by Environment and Natural Resource Secretary
Regina Lopez on July 8, as she sought to put an end to irresponsible mining.
The government has halted the
operations of 10 mines, eight of them nickel producers, and could suspend at
least 10 more when it announces the results of the audit this week.
Last month, Lopez said her agency
had asked Semirara to explain environmental violations at its mines in central
Philippines, including siltation of nearby waters and air pollution.
In a filing to the Philippine Stock
Exchange on Tuesday, Semirara said it received copies of the reports of the
audit on its Molave expansion project from a regional unit of the Environmental
Management Bureau, an agency under Lopez.
“The project is found to be
technically sound considering that all aspects have been considered such as
slope stability analysis,” said the reports, copies of which were attached to
Semirara’s filing.
“Although there were complaints
received regarding the operation of the mining project, it is recommended that
a dialogue with the complainants be undertaken,” the reports said.
Lopez had said it would be hard to
just shut Semirara’s operations because that might lead to power outages given
the Philippines’ heavy reliance on coal-fired generators.
Shares of Semirara rose as much as
7.3 percent following its market disclosure.
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