EDC vows not to enter Mt. Kanlaon National Park

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  -The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) assured Negrenses that it will not go beyond its 12.5-hectare buffer zone outside the Mt. Kanlaon National Park (MKNP) to access steam for its Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant (NNGPP) in Bago City.

In a statement, EDC said its existing area in Pataan and the granted buffer zone are sufficient to access the geothermal reservoir using current technology.

Noel Salonga, EDC assistant vice president for resource management, said: "We have already developed Pataan and have only utilized 12.5 hectares out of the 169 hectares in the buffer zone that was granted under the law (Mt. Kanlaon National Park Act). This development block has not changed since 2008."

EDC has temporarily shut down the NNGPP last year, and will do the same next month until December, for further resource study. The NNGPP was projected to produce 40 megawatts (MW) of power but since its operations, was only producing eight to nine MWs.

EDC's scheduled shutdown for further study has raised concern among church and environment groups, which said the firm would explore for geothermal power beyond its area in the buffer zone and try to enter the MKNP.

Dwight Maxino, EDC vice president for Southern and Northern Negros Geothermal Production Fields, however said the company will only focus on its existing resource areas since its initial studies indicated that these areas can already sustain EDC's operations.

"This means that even if the law allows us to make use of the 169-hectare buffer zone, no other areas will be disturbed and no more trees will be cut there anymore by EDC," Maxino said.

"When we operate in an area, we not only mitigate the impacts of our operation, we go beyond this obligation and enhance the area. This has been the case in all our geothermal reservations," he said.

"Here in Mt. Kanlaon, while we used 12.5 hectares in the geothermal buffer zone which is outside the park under RA 9154, we have replanted 400 hectares inside the park. EDC has reforested approximately 900 hectares in the province from 1995-2010 and will reforest another 420 hectares in Sipalay City and Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto towns," said Maxino.

"Despite the many challenges posed by the geothermal resource in the NNGPP, like the thicker cap rock and lower permeability, EDC assures Negrenses that it will fulfill all environmental conditions set by the Provincial Board … and will continue to support its host communities," he said.

"Our efforts go way beyond what is required by the stringent conditions set by the PB in 2008," Maxino said. (FREEMAN)