Leaders of multi-sectoral groups today called out the Philippine government’s failure to impose a total ban on developing coal-fired power plants in the country despite the urgency of the climate crisis during a press conference in Quezon City on September 11, 2024.
Ahead of the Global Week of Action calling for the end of fossil fuels, they issued a call on the government to impose a permanent ban on new coal projects and to make a total coal exit by 2035.
“We denounce the Department of Energy for its continued promotion of coal as a top source of electricity. Coal is very harmful to people, the environment, and the climate. We need a permanent coal ban, not a mere moratorium, to stop coal expansion and a clear plan to rapidly phase out all existing coal plants in the Philippines by 2035. The DOE’s continuing reliance on imported fuels narrows down our options not just dirty but expensive fossil fuels,“ said Ian Rivera, National Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ). Rivera added that a total coal exit by 2035 in Asian countries, like the Philippines, is within the deadline to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
“It is time to quit coal. But DOE Secretary Lotilla is on a spree of exempting coal projects from the 2020 coal moratorium. He does this with the nod of President Marcos, Jr., himself the head of the Climate Change Commission and who, contrary to his projected image as a champion of renewables, has allowed coal companies to pursue expansion plans,” said Atty. Aaron Pedrosa, Secretary-General of Sanlakas.
The leaders said “Lotilla has said that while there is an existing moratorium on building coal-fired power plants, there are also exemptions for committed, indicative and expansion plans. He allowed 5 coal-fired power plants’ expansion plans of adding new boiler plants. Lotilla said the addition of boiler plants to existing plants are exempted from the moratorium.”
The country has 29 existing coal plants with 62 boiler plants.
Sanlakas, along with other organizations, has filed an Ombudsman complaint against Lotilla in July for green-lighting the Aboitiz-owned Therma Visayas, Inc (TVI) coal plant in violation of the coal moratorium and relevant graft laws. Lotilla was an independent director of AboitizPower.
“The TVI coal plant expansion in Toledo City, Cebu is not an anomaly but a portent of the energy direction under the current administration. This spells disaster for host communities, fragile ecosystems, and the country’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Pedrosa added.
The press conference leaders said “Lotilla’s endorsement has fired up more questionable expansion projects seeking exemption. Meralco has announced its plan to secure DOE certification for its Atimonan coal-fired power plant project asserting exemption from the moratorium.”
Coal is still the highest concentration in the country’s power generation mix at 61.9% in 2023. DOE announced recently that a total of nine coal-fired power projects with a combined installed capacity of 2,255 megawatts (MW) are in the pipeline.
Coal burning is the single biggest source of global temperature increase. Under the Paris Agreement, in order to reduce emissions, coal must be phased out by 2030 in OECD countries and by 2040 in the rest of the world.
Oriang President Floras Santos said many communities in the country are suffering the impacts of coal-fired power plants in their midst. The new projects risk worsening air pollution, respiratory diseases and environmental degradation in the expansion sites.
“From Sual in Pangasinan, Limay and Mariveles in Bataan, Masinloc in Zambales, Calaca in Batangas, Mauban and Pagbilao in Quezon Province to Toledo City, Cebu, Iloilo City and Concepcion in Iloilo Province to Maasim in Sarangani, Villanueva in Misamis Oriental, Davao City, Malita in Davao Occidental and Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, people are suffering from the impacts of toxic coal plants. Adding more coal facilities will exacerbate health risks, loss of livelihood, and air pollution. We stand with our fellow Filipinos in demanding a total phase-out of coal,” said Santos.
Phase out coal in all of Asia
The groups also called on Asian governments to stop the expansion of coal and rapidly phase out existing coal in Asia, expressing alarm on rising new coal in the region and less coal retirement happening globally. They denounced Global North countries for bankrolling coal expansion in Asia despite pledges to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels. The coal industry has been on the decline in the Global North, but it continues to build new coal infrastructure and prop up existing ones in Asia with public and private financing from rich countries that have stopped building new coal domestically, like the US, Canada, and the UK.
The groups said in a press statement that “the latest evidence shows that the world’s largest banks based in developed countries continue to provide finance for coal projects, from fossil fuel subsidies to public financing and private investments. Between January 2021 and December 2023, commercial banks provided US$ 470 billion in loans and underwriting to the coal industry.”
“A few years ago, the world made major strides in eradicating coal use and production in response to the climate crisis. From 2015, when the Paris Agreement was adopted, to 2021, the global pipeline of proposed coal power plants showed a 76% collapse. Today, global coal use and capacity have rebounded, growing to an all-time high in 2023, driven by strong demand in countries in Asia,” they said.
“Total global capacity in pre-construction has also increased, with countries in Asia collectively accounting for the majority of these projects. Meanwhile, coal power plant retirements were at the lowest level since 2011. According to analysis, phasing out operating coal power by 2040 would require an average of 126 GW of retirements per year for the next 17 years or about two coal plants per week, excluding coal plants under construction and in pre-construction.”
The groups said that on September 13, thousands of people will join climate marches across Asia to demand a fast, fair, and funded phase-out of fossil fuels.”
“The rallies will kick off a week of climate marches happening around the world explicitly calling for an end to fossil fuels ahead of the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York and the COP29 Summit in November. More than 100 climate marches and actions are planned between September 13 to 20 globally,” they said. (PR)
Photo by Jimmy A. Domingo
