Davao Sur gov now backs coal-fired plant he opposed

DIGOS CITY, Philippines — Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas said on Friday that he has changed his mind about coal-fired power plants and now fully supports a project being pushed by mining giant Xstrata’s Sagittarius Mines in Malalag town.

SMI plans to put up a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Baybay there.

Cagas said the project, which is much bigger that the one being planned by the Aboitiz Hydro Electric Corporation (Hedcor) in Barangay Binugao in Davao City, will be patterned after the coal-fired plant in Misamis Oriental.

The Misamis plant was recently visited by provincial board members.

Cagas said that during the visit, he was told how clean the coal-fired power plant was and that contrary to his belief, it did not emit black and dirty smoke.

“Our pre-perception that coal-fired power plant is dirty was wrong because it is so clean,” he said.

The Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) said the construction of the SMI power plant would be a big boost to the electricity supply here.

But the Tingog Ug Gugma Alang Sa Kinaiyahan (Voice and Love for the Environment) Davao del Sur or Tugaska, a group opposing the power plant, said it will never benefit the people of the province.

Bernard Viñan, Tugaska deputy secretary general, said the reality was that the power plant that SMI has been pushing in Malalag will only be used to provide electricity to the mining company’s operation on the border between South Cotabato and Davao del Sur.

“It will be used in running its machinery, in separating water and mineral ores from tailing pipes in its mining area in Barangay Kimlawis in Kiblawan,” he said.

Viñan said the construction of the power plant on a 100 hectare area in Malalag will destroy farmlands and will cause the dislocation of hundreds of people. (report from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao)