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Volume III,  Number 43              November 30 - December 6, 2003            Quezon City, Philippines


 





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A Choice Between Power and Life
House representative calls for a halt to toxic Korean coal-fired power plant

Because it will use toxic technology that has caused deaths, asthma and other respiratory ailments in many countries, the Korean coal-fired power plant project set to be built in Banate, Iloilo is the target of a coming House resolution seeking to scrap it. But the project is backed by President Macapagal-Arroyo who said that those opposed to it would be blamed for any power shortage in Western Visayas.

By Karl G. Ombion and Edgar Cadagat
Bulatlat.com / Cobra-ans

Bayan Muna Rep. Siegred Deduro

Photo by Karl G. Ombion

BACOLOD CITY – A party-list congressman has threatened to a file a resolution in Congress scrapping a coal-fired power plant project by the Korean Electric Power Co., Inc. (Kepco) which is also supported by the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

The plant is to be constructed in the town of Banate, Iloilo province.

Bayan Muna Rep. Siegred Deduro, who is from Negros, revealed over the weekend that Kepco has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Banate municipal government to conduct studies for the construction of the plant under a build-operate-own (BOT) scheme. The plant is not environmentally safe, he said.  

Kepco officials have insisted however that the plant was environmentally safe because it would use Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology.

Deduro said President Macapagal-Arroyo supported the project and has warned that those bucking the project would be blamed for any power shortage in the region.

But the congressman said Macapagal-Arroyo is lying because there are already plans for the transfer of the 110 MW Pinamucan Diesel Plant from Batangas to Dingle in Panay.   The Leyte-Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission lines will also be upgraded from 75 MW to 150 MW or double its capacity, he said.

Deduro further slammed Macapagal-Arroyo for signing the contract with Kepco without any public consultation.

"Kepco is an independent power producer, which means the consumers would once again be burdened by additional fees like the Purchased Power Adjustment," he said. The consumers should have been consulted first, he added.

Dirty technology

Aside from filing a resolution at the House to scrap the project, Deduro said he also plans to have the project investigated as well as propose amendments to laws on the coal technology development.

"No matter what they say, a study by U.S. Congress study shows that there are no technologies available yet to remove mercury from the waste stream," he said.

Burning coal - especially when wastes are not properly disposed of - entails the burning of other heavy metals like mercury and arsenic.

"These have toxic effects on the surrounding water sources, affecting livelihood of the people near the area," Deduro said.

He said that a 25-year-old coal plant in Illinois was linked to 300 deaths per year and 13,900 asthma attacks and 500,000 upper respiratory diseases.

"The construction of the coal-fired plant is also a violation of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, which upholds the right of every citizen to breath clean air," he said.

Also against the coal-fired power plant are the Madyaas Ecological Movement and the People's Response for the Protection of the Environment, among other, Deduro also revealed. Bulatlat.com / Cobra-Ans

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