Bac-Man Geothermal to register for carbon credits under CDM
Bacon-Manito geothermal field, Philippines (source: EDC)
Alexander Richter
23 May 2011
Bac-Man Geothermal, a subsidiary of EDC, is undertaking steps to register for Carbon Emission Reduction (CER) Certificates, or carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism set out under the UN Kyoto Agreement.
The Bac-Man Geothermal Inc. (BGI) has presented in a stakeholders’ interfacing its power plant complex rehabilitation acquisition project and compliance measures to register for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Eduardo Jimenez, supervisor of Energy Development Corporation -Community Partnerships Department (EDC-CPD), said that BGI as its subsidiary, hopes to register the company with the CDM-UNFCCC which serves as the governing rule observed under the Kyoto Protocols for the operation of geothermal power plants.
The consultation meeting will also provide the various stakeholders within the 9 hosts barangays the current situation and the improvements made within the power plant complex to ensure that the current protocols of UNFCCC are complied with.
It can be recalled that the BGI, formerly known as the National Power Corporation (NPC), power plant complex has been out of operation for almost 3 years after having been heavily damaged by two succeeding typhoons in 2007, Milenyo and Reming, and the usual wear and tear conditions incurred due to the length of its existence since its commissioning way back in 1995.
Jimenez said that part of the BGI’s and EDC’s thrust under the new administration is to provide the various stakeholders the current situation and rehabilitations implemented under the administration of the FirstGen.
The plant after its full rehabilitation will be considered now on its best tip-top condition following the state of the art conditions implemented in other countries using geothermal power.
The rehabilitation of the power plant is also in conformity with the new global trends particularly giving more emphasis on environmental sustainability conditionalities and based on the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“With the hiring of highly skilled and knowledgeable consultants coming from various countries implementing geothermal power plants focusing on high – technology advancement and more environmentally updated mitigating measures installed as to the processes of its operations, it is best to provide the various stakeholders of the province of Albay and Sorsogon how conscious we are at EDC and BGI to make this project compliant to the policies of the UNFCCC,” according to Jimenez.
The project aims to produce renewable energy using indigenous geothermal steam thereby reducing the use of non-renewable fossil fuels for power generation.
“The newly rehabilitated BGI power plant complex is an assurance to contribute towards the Philippine sustainable development policy on clean environment and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. This consultation meeting will also validate the project’s purpose for CDM registration “, Jimenez disclosed.
More than a hundred participants attended the consultation meeting comprising of local government officials from the host communities, national government line agencies, non-governmental organizations and representatives from the city and provincial governments of Albay and Sorsogon.
Marie Emerose M. Devilles of the EDC/BGI said the registration of the BGI rehabilitation project to the CDM is an agreement among industrialized nations calling for worldwide reduction of emission of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels from year 2008 to 2012 resulting approximately 20 percent below what they would have the if the protocol had not been in place.
In the stakeholders meeting, BGI has presented their rehabilitation activities conducted and their registration to the CMD will help offset their acquisition rehabilitation cost incurred.
According to Davilles the CMD under the Kyoto protocol will give Certified Emission Reduction (CER) Certificates which is equivalent to the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) that is reduced by the project.
She further explained that the CER can be sold to countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol to improve the project economics of capital intensive projects like Bac-Man Power Plant Rehabilitation.”
Source: Philippine Information Agency
