Sual power plant execs to cooperate on oil leak probe

SUAL, Pangasinan, Philippines – Team Energy, which manages and operates the Sual coal-fired power plant, yesterday vowed to cooperate with government authorities tasked to investigate the oil leak on Monday.

Froilan Gregory Romualdez III, head of external affairs and spokesman for Team Energy Corp.,  said there was no visible trace of the leak along the coastlines near the plant as of yesterday.

Romualdez said they have also inspected nearby fish cages, which were not in any way affected by the oil leak.

“Fishermen can be seen fishing…an indication that things are normal in the waters outside the power plant,” he said.

Romualdez said 4,000 liters of oil, which were reported to have leaked from a ruptured pipe, had been contained within the plant’s grounds. 

“Our company remains committed to running the Sual power plant in a safe, reliable and environment friendly manner as it has been doing for the past 15 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, Westly Rosario, chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center in Dagupan City, who sent a team to probe the oil leak, told The STAR that the oil leak was about 200 to 500 meters away from the fish cages.

Rosario said he sees no adverse effect on the fish cages. “The oil floats unless it’s too thick and the leak is widespread,” he said.