EDC pushing for replacement of coal baseload with geothermal in the Philippines

Southern Negros geothermal plant, Negros Oriental, Philippines (source: Mike Gonzalez, creative commons BY-SA 3.0)

Alexander Richter 28 Aug 2019

Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in the Philippines is pushing for the replacement of coal-fired power plants with geothermal plants as base load facilities or those that provide supply round the clock, amid efforts to address risk of climate change from electricity generation, as reported by the Inquirer in the Philippines.

Miguel S. De Vera, head of strategic initiatives, legal and regulatory office at EDC, said in a statement the energy sector was the greatest contributor to climate change, with almost 61 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide coming from electricity production and industrial processes.

During a State of Nature Assessment event, he said that “Even if we take into account other sectors that emit carbon and other greenhouse gases, as much as 93 percent of total emissions can already be addressed with the singular act of moving toward renewable energy sources,” he said.

EDC sees coal-fired plants as the key source of emissions and with more than half of the electricity in the Philippines coming from coal plants, it is necessary to look at replacing them with renewable energy.

De Vera said that, in the Philippines, coal continues to comprise more than half of the country’s energy mix and is largely seen as the base load power of choice due to continued perceptions of cheaper costs.

EDC is the largest geothermal operator in the Philippines, and among the top if not the top operator in the world based on operating capacity.

Source: Business Inquirer