The Philippines is probably one of the few countries that still rely heavily on coal as a major source of electricity because they are fairly reliable as base load source of power. They are easy to install and can supply enough volume of electricity to meet the increasing energy demand.
But for climate change and environment protection advocates, coal-fired power plants are the anti-theses. Their emissions into the atmosphere contribute to climate change and the plants pose great risk to one’s health.
Former US vice president Al Gore, in a visit to the Philippines in March, urged the Philippines to follow the way of the US in putting an end to the development of new coal plants. Electric generation capacity from coal plants in the US today, according to Gore, stood, at 0.01 percent while that of oil was at 0.07 percent.
Gore’s statement drew sharp reaction from Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada. The Philippines, she said, could not unilaterally and immediately stop the development of new coal power plants. The country has 5,800 megawatts of installed capacity of coal-fired power plants across the country’s three power grids. The bulk, or 4,775.6 MW, is in the Luzon grid.
“We still need power… If there will be no coal plants, will the typhoons stop coming, will there be no more flash floods? We need power to fuel the economy,” says Monsada. Coal plants account for over half of the Philippine power requirements.
The top energy official said the government had imposed stricter standards on the construction and operation of coal power plants, and that the Philippines was working to achieve a cleaner air target of 70-percent emission reduction by 2030.
Clean energy, indeed, is the future. Technological advancements have allowed the speedy installation of solar, wind and other renewable sources of energy. Geothermal steam remains a significant contributor to the overall energy mix, while hydro-electric power plants provide another base load source to the Luzon and Mindanao grids.
The current coal-fired power plants will remain a major source of electricity in the country for at least the next 25 years. Their contribution, hopefully, will diminish as the Philippines shifts to liquefied natural gas and taps more sources of renewable energy.