One-stop-shop for small renewable energy projects to help Minda-Mayor Sara

Davao City Mayor and Regional Development Council (RDC) XI chairperson Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio cited the establishment of a one-stop-shop for small renewable energy projects in Mindanao as one of her favorite accomplishments.

“We are trying to find a solution to Mindanao’s power problem just like the hydropower electricity plant project and establishing a one-stop-shop will hopefully encourage the implementation of small renewable energy projects here,” Duterte-Carpio said in an interview held after her State of the Region Address Wednesday.

She said smaller renewable energy projects that can produce 5 to 10 MegaWatts usually find it very time-consuming to go to Manila to process their papers and get approval for their projects. With the establishment of the one-stop-shop, she said, the proponents of these projects need not go to Manila anymore because “inter-agency na ang maghatag sa ilaha diri sa Mindanao (the different agencies will take care of the permits and papers which will be issued to them right in Mindanao).”

She said she is first a mayor before she is an RDC chairperson and her stand has always been for renewable sources of energy. “I prefer renewable sources of energy,” she said, and it is because of them that this one-stop shop has been established.

While she admitted that climate change might change the water source and can result to drought or overflowing, she reiterated that the development of renewable energy source “is our thrust.”

Without exactly saying it, Duterte-Carpio remains steadfast about her preference for renewable energy source and her doubts about other energy source like the coal-powered electric plant.

“More than the environmental degradation of coal-fired power plant, we also have to consider the health risks to people in the area,” she said. The negative effects of coal-fired power plants has already been experienced even by first world countries and we don’t want our people to experience that, she added.

Aboitiz bent on building coal-powered plant in Davao City

Fresh from the development of the Sibulan Hydropower Plant in Davao del Sur, Aboitiz Power is now bent on developing another source of energy for Mindanao but this time it has set its eyes on the development of a non-renewable source namely a coal powered plant right in Davao City.

Aboitiz Power called for a press conference yesterday to announce its plan to establish a coal-powered plant in the city. Earlier, its executives met with Davao City mayor Sara Duterte and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and members of the City Council to get their pulse on the proposed coal-powered plant. They also met with members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Inc. yesterday evening.

The proposed coal-powered plant, with an estimated cost of $400 million, is expected to bring in lots of investments and employment opportunities for the city, not to mention up to 200MW of power.

However, coal mines, from where the coals used to power the plants come from, are known to be the largest contributor to global warming and to climate change problems due to the mine's high emission of methane, carbon dioxide and other waste products including thorium, radioactive contaminants and uranium.

Coal mines are said to result to groundwater interference and water table levels and have high impact on the flow of water in rivers. Aboitiz is looking at Indonesia as its source of coal.

The combustion of coal, is seen as a large contributor to air pollution and acid rain. Erramon Aboitiz however admitted that coal-powered plants have earned a negative reputation in the 1930s but coal-powered plants now use more modern technologies and coal generation has become greener.

Coal-powered plants are however still know to produce emissions of sulfur dioxides, nitrogen and carbon dioxides in the air, thereby contributing to global warming and climate change.

For a city blessed with one of the cleanest waters in the world, having a coal-powered plant right on top of its aquifers can spell nightmare not only for Dabawenyos but for the whole world. But then again, it is still a question of priorities---power or environment.

Mining Industry At Center Stage During Davao Mining Summit

The mining industry is at center stage during the two day Mining Summit being held at the Watefront Insular Hotel from September 18-19, 2008. The top agenda during the summit is government bureaucracy vis a vis the approval of mining exploration permits. It is ironic that that the Philippines is known to have large areas with mineral deposits and yet it is not even included in the Top 50 List of countries with large mining investments.

Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao noted the prevailing "red tape" experienced by companies applying for their mining exploration permits. He said the government should look into this and should be less stringent in its regulations considering that a mining exploration application takes from five to ten years before it is even approved.

"The application for mining explorations should not take long because this stage is already a great risk to the investor since there is no guarantee that the site being explored would yield minerals," Lao said.

The MBC is advocating for responsible mining, he said, but said the government should give more support to the industry as it can contribute to the country's economy. He said environmental issues would not be disregarded if only the procedures are simplified and red tape is lessened if not eradicated.