Energy think tank Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED) called for the removal of “unjust privilege” being given to coal power plants operators in the country.

This statement came after President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in which he commented on the country’s dependence on coal. 

“[We] urge the Duterte administration to revoke Executive Order 30, cancel all pending coal-fired power plants, and subject all existing coal-fired power plants to a review which would determine whether they must be retired,” CEED said in a statement, as reported in Panay News.

Executive Order 30 allowed for select energy projects to be approved faster and prioritized to finish developments. E030 also created the Energy Investment Coordinating Council.

President Duterte signed the order on June 28, 2017. From then on, it was mandated that concerned government agencies should act upon application of energy projects of national significance (EPNS) within 30 days.

• Projects are categorized as EPNS if they have the following:
• significant capital investment of at least P3.5 billion
• significant contribution to the country’s economic development
• significant consequential economic impact
• significant potential contribution to the country’s balance of payments
• significant impact on the environment
• complex technical processes and engineering designs
• significant infrastructure requirements

“We urge the President and members of his Cabinet, specifically the Department of Energy and Department of Environment and Natural Resources to walk his renewable energy talk,” said CEED.