THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has announced that it will be conducting hearings regarding the environmental impact of Atlantic Gulf & Pacific’s (AG&P) proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal on February 18 and 19.
AG&P, through local arm Linseed Field Power Corporation, recently submitted its environment impact study (EIS) to the DENR on the Php14.6 billion project, which would be located right next to the existing Ilijan Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Batangas City.
In its Notice of Public Hearing, the DENR said that the February 18 hearing will be conducted onsite at the Ilijan Barangay Hall, while the February 19 hearing would be done via videoconference.
Parties who wish to participate in the hearings and give their opinions have to confirm their attendance and positions, respectively, via e-mail by February 15. Those with opinions, in particular, must submit a concise position paper.
When completed, the import terminal will serve the LNG demand requirements of the current 1,200-megawatt (MW) Ilijan plant, its 850MW expansion, and future power projects of SMC Global Power Holdings (SMCGPH). The 850MW expansion is expected to begin operations in 2022.
SMCGPH, Luzon’s largest and the country’s second-biggest generating company, is the power generation arm of San Miguel Corporation.
To meet the plant’s requirements, Linseed plans to construct an onshore regasification, storage, utilities and balance of plant, supplemented with a floating storage unit. The company is targeting to commence the import terminal’s operations by June 2022, a month ahead of the Malampaya supply agreement’s expiration in July.
The Department of Energy is currently reviewing the new Ilijan project’s notice to proceed.
Photo from San Miguel Corporation website.
