Organization debunks claim versus coal plants

CEBU, Philippines - The Energy and Clean Air Project disputed the claim by some environmentalists that coal power plants are the number one source of air pollution.

ECAP head Rene Alburo in an interview with The Freeman said that vehicle emission is number one source of pollutants.

He cited that only 25 percent out of the 260 vehicles tested by the City Traffic Operations Management in coordination with ECAP last week, were found to be compliant or have passed the emission test standards set by the Land Transportation Office.

“The biggest bulk of our pollutants came from vehicle emissions and not from coal power plants” Alburo said.

So far Cebu has two new coal power plants — Kepco and the Cebu Energy Development Corporation, wherein its biggest investor is Global Business Power Corporation.

CEDC will be producing a total of 246 megawatts. It will start operating on February next year producing 82 megawatts and another 82 megawatts in the middle of next year and another 82 megawatts in October.

 To date, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the air in Metro Cebu has not reached a critical level yet.

Alburo lamented on the poor rate of compliance as far as ensuring that the emissions coming from vehicles are within the tolerable level.

Data from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board shows that Region VII has 18,023 public utility vehicles and majority of these are in Cebu.

Alburo explained that pollutants in the air would trigger respiratory illness such as migraine, sinusitis, tuberculosis, asthma, among others.

Alburo further said that based on their study, they made a recommendation to the Cebu City Council to ensure a much stricter compliance towards clean air.

He said that by next month, the city will be fielding an Anti-Smoke Belching Team to enforce the Clean Air Act and see to it that violators will be facing a much stringent sanctions.

Meanwhile, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, through its president Dr. Walter W. Brown, recently commended Global Business Power Corporation/Toledo Power Corporation for being a proactive partner when they voluntarily offered assistance in the power restoration during the April 25 widespread system disturbance in the Visayas grid.

GBPC/TPC is an independent power producer in Sangi, Toledo City.

It can be recalled that the Visayas grid experienced a widespread power disturbance last April 25 due to a technical problem with a 230-kV power line in Leyte.

The said facility transmits power from Tabango, Leyte to Cebu using submarine cables. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)