DENR shows pragmatism in approving Panay coal-fired power plant construction

The Panay Power Corp. has recently been given the go-signal by the Department of natural resources and the Environment (DENR) to proceed with the construction of its 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Ingore, La Paz district in Iloilo.

Rather than bowing to intense pressure from environmentalists and the catholic church, the DENR exercised pragmatism when it granted September 1 the requisite environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to the power plant operator.

The ECC however, carried 16 conditions for the operator to meet, including:

• continuing dialogue and interaction with stakeholders, contractors and workers on issues concerning the plant operation;
  
• establishment of a five-meter buffer zone of greenery along the plant’s periphery;
  
• provision of a 20-meter easement for the creek/river in  la Paz;
  
• continuous monitoring of temperature and other relevant parameters of cooling water from the plant before discharging;
  
• installation of additional automatic floating buoys capable of measuring water temperature within the mixing zone and boundary areas of the plant;
  
• provision and maintenance of a 900-square meter reserve area for the cooling system; and
  
• addressing climate change and global warming by putting in place a program to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
  

Panay island has been reeling from acute power outages.

 Its main source of power, the decrepit 146.5 MW Panay diesel power plant owned by the National Power Corporation, is currently under the auction block through the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM).

 While the island is connected to other power sources like the geothermal plants of Negros Oriental and Leyte as part of the Visayan grid, its power supply is secondary only to the demands of Cebu and Negros. 

The installed 49 MW geothermal plant of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) which is designed to augment the power requirements of Panay, has been shut down due to operational problems in the field.