To prepare for a “looming” power shortage, House Minority Leader and Quezon 3rd District Representative Danilo Suarez is pushing for the construction of power plants similar to the 1200-megawatt coal-fired facility in Atimonan, Quezon.
Suarez made this statement during the deliberations of the 2019 budget of the energy department.
He said existing coal-fired power plants are not enough and are vulnerable to transmission failures that cause power shutdowns in the some areas in the Luzon grid.
Suarez added that the construction of power plants with technology similar to the 1,200 MW coal plant in Atimonan, Quezon can help minimize the harmful effects on the environment.
“Technology is available to clean coal emissions. This power plant in Atimonan, to our understanding, is an ultra super critical power plant. They are the first to utilize H.E.L.E. (high efficiency, low emissions technology),” Suarez said in an ABS-CBN report.
Suarez’s statement came amid proposals to shift to increased use of renewable energy and a less coal-dependent energy mix.
He added that the transition to renewable energy technologies from the usual power plants could take time and recommended an interim “to allow the construction and operation of power plants that produce cheap energy and utilize clean technology.”
The Philippines is a signatory of the Paris climate agreement which aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius to manage the Earth’s temperature.
