Proposed LNG power plant in Lapu-Lapu City cancelled

CEBU, Philippines —  The company behind the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant in Lapu-Lapu City has canceled its application for Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) following strong opposition from the public.

The central office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource- Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) published on Friday a notice declaring that Converge Power Generation Corp. (CPGC), a subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation (SMC GPHC), has requested to cancel its application for the issuance of an ECC for the proposed 600 MW LNG Combined Cycle Power Plant in Lapu-Lapu City.

The cancellation of its ECC application also paved the way for the cancellation of the supposed public scoping today. Such is one of the early stages of the ECC application.

The project proponent first scheduled a public scoping on May 25, 2022 at a covered court of a private school in Barangay Poblacion but was canceled after several stakeholders such as the church, school, and community representatives from areas directly or indirectly affected by the project questioned the proponent’s failure to comply with the minimum requirements prior to conducting public scoping.

The affected stakeholders, supported by lawyers from the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), cited DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2017-15 which requires the conduct of information and education campaign (IEC) among stakeholders prior to scoping.

Those who are opposed to the project were relieved to know about the cancellation of the proposed fossil gas power plant in Barangays Poblacion and Looc, Lapu-Lapu City, but remain vigilant over possible fossil gas expansion in Cebu.

"Dako ang among kalipay nga gibakwi ang aplikasyon sa SMC para magtukod og LNG power plant dinhi sa Mactan Island. Makabalaka ang sugyot nga proyekto kay gawas nga modugang kini sa kadaot sa kinaiyahan, mo-guba pa kini sa among tinubdan sa panginabuhian ug pagkaon, ang kadagatan. Ang ibuga og balik nga init nga tubig-dagat ug ubang kemikal ngadto sa Mactan Channel mopatay sa mga pagkaong dagat sa hunasan ngadto sa lawod," according to Crispin Caya, chairperson of HUGAMA-PANGISDA, a fisherfolks group in Lapu-Lapu City affiliated with KILUSAN Cebu, also a member of the anti-LNG alliance.

The community's interest to engage in the project heightened upon learning that a dirty power plant, and not a mall they were made to believe, shall be established a few meters away from their homes, schools, market, the Nuestra Señora De Regla - Parish National Shrine, offices, and commercial establishments, according to Lito Vasquez of the Asian People's Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and one of the convenors of the local anti-fossil gas alliance.

“It is hard to imagine how an environmentally critical project that emits harmful methane, carbon dioxide, and other toxic substances, could co-exist with the community,” he said.

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice in the Visayas also welcomes such development.

“The cancellation of the Converge/SMC Global Power's ECC application is a welcome development in our fight for national survival", adding that "the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fossil fuel, to generate additional energy capacity runs counter to calls for drastic reduction of greenhouse gasses, which is responsible for the global warming we are experiencing today.,” said PMCJ’s coordinator Estela Vasquez.

Teody Navea of Sanlakas Cebu and convenor of PMCJ Cebu, added that "now is the time to realize a just transition to renewable energy.”

“The suffering of communities in the cities of Naga and Toledo affected by the operations of coal power plants are testaments that the use of fossil fuels must end. The operation of new LNG power plants anywhere in Cebu or the rest of the country shall bring us closer to catastrophic climate change,” said Nivea.

LNG is natural gas cooled into liquid form for ease of transportation and shall be sourced abroad as the Malampaya gas run dry by 2027.

The anti-fossil alliance, in the meantime, continues its educational activities to inform communities about the harmful effects of fossil fuels. — FPL (FREEMAN)