A Catholic priest in Quezon province renewed calls to halt Meralco PowerGen Corp.’s (MGEN) 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Atimonan.
Fr. Warren Puno, head of the ecology ministry of the Diocese of Lucena, warned that the project has already harmed communities and will deepen both environmental and economic vulnerabilities in the province.
“The Atimonan coal project has already displaced families even before it begins operations. Coal endangers our communities by polluting our ecosystems and forcing people from their homes and livelihoods,” he said.
The priest said the community ultimately carries the burden of high electricity costs and that Quezon’s opposition to the Atimonan coal plant is rooted in ecological protection.
He added that local resistance will continue despite MGEN’s efforts to advance the project.
Clean energy and consumer groups criticized MGEN for preparing to secure supply agreements despite long-standing local opposition, saying coal dependence will perpetuate high electricity prices and raise climate-related risks.
As part of its preparations, MGEN plans to participate in a competitive selection process (CSP) to secure supply contracts. Advocates said the move contradicts the CSP’s mandate to source the least-cost power.
Gerry Arances, Convenor of the Power for People Coalition (P4P), said that while the CSP mandates distribution utilities to acquire the least-cost energy, “coal puts consumers at risk of expensive electricity vulnerable to price increases based on the global market.”
“Compared to solar, coal has a higher average generation cost – a price shouldered by consumers,” he added. He said that government policy has enabled MGEN’s project to advance despite the coal moratorium.
He said the government effectively weakened the coal moratorium after the President directed the Department of Energy to issue an advisory outlining exemptions.
He noted that even before the advisory, Energy Secretary Garin had already allowed MGEN to bypass the moratorium, clearing the way for the Atimonan plant.
He added that this policy direction promotes coal dependence and exposes consumers to higher electricity costs.
Fisherfolk leaders warned that the coal plant would severely damage marine resources, with Sagip Karagatan president Ka Ramon Grimaldo calling it a “death sentence” that would poison the sea and destroy local livelihoods.
He urged the Department of Energy and Secretary Garin to prove their commitment to the public interest by stopping the project.
