MANILA, Philippines — Using ammonia to help lower carbon dioxide emissions at a coal plant in Quezon province might end up causing more pollution and drive up electricity prices as well, residents and green energy advocates.
Quezon Power Philippines (QPL), a subsidiary of Thailand-based EGCO Group, signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean firm Doosan Enerbility Co. to study the feasibility of ammonia co-fired power generation at QPL's 460-megawatt plant in Mauban, Quezon province.
EGCO Group said in a release that this is part of their strategy to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
"This plan would only prolong the life of an already polluting facility while bringing a whole new set of risks to the health and environment of our people," said Fr. Warren Puno of advocacy group Quezon for Environment (QUEEN) and director of the Ministry of Ecology of the Diocese of Lucena.
Co-firing with ammonia is being promoted as a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in coal power generation facilities.
However, there are concerns in the intensive use of fossil fuels for the production and processing of ammonia. Co-firing will also add to power generation costs.
"Retrofitting the plant to accommodate co-firing, ammonia fuel production, transport, and other required processes will only add more costs and promote the continued use of coal to sell power that consumers simply can no longer afford," said Gerry Arances, convenor of Power for People Coalition (P4P).
According to P4P, Quezon Power supplies 10% of the total power requirements of Meralco, with an average cost of P12.11 per kilowatt per hour in the last year — higher than the spot market’s P10.27 kWh.
"The only study that coal companies should be doing amid high fuel costs and catastrophic climate change today is how a well-managed and immediate decommissioning of their facilities can be done," said Aryanne De Ocampo, advocacy officer of think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development.
"We are better off accelerating the deployment of genuinely sustainable and affordable renewables than dipping our toes in even more harmful and costly pursuits like ammonia co-firing," he added.