MANILA, Philippines — Binatikos ng Power for People Coalition (P4P) si Energy Secretary Al Cusi dahil sa umano’y nakakalitong mensahe nito na idineliber ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte tungkol sa “coal” sa isinagawang speech nito sa “switch on celebration” ng San Buenaventura 500-megawatt supercritical coal fired power plant kahapon.
Sa pagdalo ng Pangulong Duterte, muli ay ipinangako nito ang pagpapanatili ng renewable energy (RE) sa bansa, kahit na pinangunahan nito ang selebrasyon ng pagbubukas ng isa na namang ‘coal-fired power plant.’
“The President is sending out mixed signals – he reiterated what he said in his SONA about increasing the use of renewable energy while adding yet another coal-fired power plant to the energy mix of the country,” ayon kay Gerry Arances, convenor ng P4P.
Ayon kay Arances, ang kautusan ng Pangulo ay binabalewala at sinisira ng mga maling payo ni Cusi, na nagpapatitibay at pinaninindigan ang “technology neutral” na magpapaunlad umano ng bagong pagkukunan ng enerhiya sa bansa.
“There is no such thing as clean coal. Coal will always produce pollution when it is extracted and when it is burned. The power it produces will remain expensive, and it will always be unreliable,” giit ni Arances.