Bagong coal power plant, pinalagan
Mariing kinundena ng grupong Power for People Coalition (P4P) ang hakbang ng SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. na magtayo ng dalawang power plants na nagkakahalaga ng kabuuang P200 bilyon sa Pagbilao, Quezon.
Ang SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., ang energy arm ng San Miguel Corporation (SMC) ay magtatayo ng 4 x 355MW supercritical pulverized coal power plant sa Barangay Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao sa pamamagitan ng kanyang subsidiary Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp. (CLPPC) habang magtatayo ang ibang subsidiary na Lumiere Energy Technologies Inc. (LETI), ng 2 x 355MW power plant sa parehong barangay.
“The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of respiratory health for everyone. Even if SMC claims that these plants will have the so-called ‘High Efficiency, Low Emission’ technology, the concentration of these massive facilities in one barangay will only have negative effects for the health of the residents,” sinabi ni P4P Convenor Gerry Arances.
Nabahala rin ang green energy advocate sa HELE technology kahit pa sinasabing nababawasan umano nito ang emissions at sinasabing naisasalin lang ang polusyon sa tubig at sa lupa.
“HELE as clean coal is one big lie. Coal will always pollute. While the reduction of emissions is disputed, even if true, coal will produce the same amount of waste. It’s just a matter of transferring the pollution from the air to particles which will poison the soil and water of the community,” paliwanag ni Arances.
Si Arance ay Executive Director ng Center for Ecology, Energy, and Development (CEED) na nagsusulong sa malinis na enerhiya.
“Renewable energy sources like the sun and the wind produce more affordable power, have no toxic emissions in any amount, and are less prone to breakdowns than coal-fired power plants. We should stop all current plans to build coal-fired power plants and transfer the resources to cleaner energy,” dugtong nito.
“Building more coal plants is not a source of joy when everyone is concerned about their lungs. SMC, if it wants consumers to hear good news, should announce their abandonment of coal and its complete commitment to renewable energy,” pagtatapos nito.