Senator urges coal plant shutdown

Sen. Gregorio Honasan asked the government yesterday to implement the Clean Air Act and heed the growing public clamor for the immediate closure of coal-fired power plants of the National Power Corp. and a number of independent power producers because of the harm they pose on public health and the environment.

The Napocor and the IPPs have close to 3,600 megawatts of coal-fired power plants supplying 45 percent of the electricity demand on Luzon.

"We cannot compromise public health and turn a blind eye on the destruction of the environment by allowing the continued operation of these power plants," Honasan said.

According to the environmental group Greenpeace International, coal ash fallout from the power plants has been found positive for deadly mercury.

In addition, a barangay outside the Calaca I and II power plants of Napocor registered at least nine deaths from lung cancer, more than 20 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and dozens more cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases in the last five years.

He added that these power plants do not comply at all with the Clean Air Act, a landmark environmental legislation Honasan authored and sponsored.

"The closure of these power plants would not affect supply of electricity in Luzon, as we have an oversupply from the power plants whose operations are being paid for by the consumers anyway with their continued payment of the PPA," he said.

Among these power sources are the six coal-fired plants operated by the Napocor, which generate some 3,800 megawatts of electricity. These are the 1,200-megawatt plant in Sual, Pangasinan; the 440-megawatt plant in Mauban, Quezon; the 700-megawatt plant in Pagbilao, Quezon; the 700-megawatt plant in Oyon, Zambales; the 600-megawatt plant in Calaca, Batangas and the 105-megawatt Naga Coal in the Visayas.

Despite the fact that a third of the power now generated in the country comes from natural gas, the energy sector, which relies on fossil fuels, such as coal, is expected to remain a main source of emissions of toxic fumes.

In August last year, Greenpeace released a report warning the public about the mercury emissions in coal-fired plant, based on fly ash samples taken from the Calaca plants.