Use of coal more costly for the Philippines

Mr. Magno’s article, Coal (Philippine STAR, 18 October 2012, page 14) looked only at the business model of coal, and why in his view, adding more coal into the energy mix is the solution to our growing energy demands. This myopic view misses the point entirely.

By looking at the business model alone, he misses out on the true cost of coal, which is not included in the accounting ledger of coal proponents. These are human illnesses, displaced communities, destroyed livelihoods, mining accidents, acid rain, smog pollution, water scarcity, and the adverse economic effects such as direct health care costs, reduced productivity, and lost work days. 

Once constructed and operational, these coal-fired power plants would lock us into three to four decades of reliance on this dirty and harmful fossil fuel. These projects are being undertaken and approved without a comprehensive examination of how renewable energy (RE) proposals can similarly and more safely address the country’s power situation. 

In the Philippines, the power generation mix saw a significant increase in coal from 26.6% in 2009 to 34.4% in 2010, while renewable energy saw a steady decrease, despite the fact that we have the Renewable Energy Law in place.

The country has a vast potential of RE sources, and Mindanao does not fall short of these. RE accounts for 60% of the island’s energy generating capacity. In the Philippine Energy Plan formulated by the Department of Energy, the long term goal for Mindanao includes an increase in RE-based capacity by 100% by 2013. The end goal is to achieve greater energy independence.

The current coal reserves of 316 Mt will run out in 20-25 years. These finite resources, bound to diminish in time, will consequently cost more in the long run, whereas fuel for renewable energy sources is virtually free and limitless. 

Finally, coal plants are the biggest source of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, making coal energy the single greatest threat facing our climate. Carbon emissions have no boundaries. The environmental stresses of climate change will be felt across the globe, but most severely by poorer countries like the Philippines — ranked by the UN as the 3rd most vulnerable and least prepared to face the impacts of climate change.

What the Philippines needs is an increase in renewable energy in our energy mix that will see us through beyond the next four years, and guarantee energy independence, and security for future generations. – ANNA ABAD, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia