Philippine
Daily Inquirer / 05:01 AM August 28, 2019
Energy Development Co.
is pushing for the replacement of coal-fired power plants with geothermal
plants as base load facilities or those that provide supply round the clock,
amid efforts to address risk of climate change from electricity generation.
Miguel S. De Vera, head
of strategic initiatives, legal and regulatory office at EDC, said in a
statement the energy sector was the greatest contributor to climate change,
with almost 61 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide coming from
electricity production and industrial processes.
De Vera participated in
the 2019 State of Nature Assessment or “Green Sona” organized by Green
Convergence together with the Forest Foundation Philippines held recently in
Palawan.
“Even if we take into
account other sectors that emit carbon and other greenhouse gases, as much as
93 percent of total emissions can already be addressed with the singular act of
moving toward renewable energy sources,” he said.
The EDC official noted
that, of the various sources of energy being used across the world, coal-fired
power plants are the single largest contributor to emissions.
De Vera said that, in
the Philippines, coal continues to comprise more than half of the country’s
energy mix and is largely seen as the base load power of choice due to
continued perceptions of cheaper costs.
“This is a wrong notion
because the tradeoff with coal is permanent and irreversible damage to our
environment and to our overall health and well-being, as well as to the future
of our natural resources,” he said.
“The Philippines should
join the global pivot toward cleaner energy sources and do our share in
contributing to the fight against worldwide climate change,” he added.
De Vera said geothermal
energy—one of EDC’s renewable energy platforms—remains the base load power of
choice for energy experts because of its reliable and stable nature.
“Geothermal is a
pioneering energy source that played a big role in saving our nation from economic
and political turmoil in the 1970s,” he said. “It is what will save us from the
threats of climate change today and in the future.” —RONNEL W. DOMINGO
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