Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Michael Defensor has rallied behind the Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to include coal-fired power plants as an important component of the country’s energy mix.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The House leader agreed with the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi that the government cannot just bar existing power plants from continuously operating.
"While we see the existing ones to contribute in the current energy mix, there is also strong improvement in alternative sources that we see today,” Defensor said in a Viber message.
He cited that wind, solar, and ocean current technology among others have evolved by leaps and bounds.
"I’m sure that there are many in the pipeline proposals that influenced Sec. Cusi and the Energy department to take a different policy perspective. Congratulations to them and to all climate change advocates,” Defensor said.
In an online press briefing, Cusi explained that the moratorium on greenfield coal-fired power plants issued by the DOE last month applies only to those who have not secured the endorsement from the DOE and the necessary permits from other agencies.
Party-list group Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) has described the DOE’s pronouncement as a “huge relief” for major power players in the country.
AGHAM president Angelo Palmones, a former partylist lawmaker, warned that if the government bans coal-fired power plants, the country’s energy security will be put at risk.
“The country still needs coal power plants to address the demand,” he said in a statement.
“The anti-coal groups should understand that the country could not go full blast on at once because it is neither cheap nor reliable,” Palmones added.