Philippines: EDC President Urges More Renewable Energy Development

EDC backs renewables, says coal has hidden costs (Inquirer.net)

Richard Tantoco, president and COO of EDC

Coal may initially seem like a cheap source of fuel but with its impact on the environment and public health, vulnerable countries such as the Philippines should instead focus on developing renewable energy (RE), said Richard Tantoco, president and COO of geothermal power development leader Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

In a statement, Tantoco said that while dependence on coal-fueled power plants may initially provide reliable and cheap electricity, countries that have depended on coal plants as their main source of electricity have learned that such reliance can ultimately prove to be very costly.

“We have a golden opportunity to learn from the mistakes of other countries whose over-reliance on coal is now costing them trillions of dollars in externalities. I certainly hope that we do not have to learn the lessons from the mistakes that we will knowingly commit moving forward because to do so would make our future generations suffer the consequences of going the ‘fake cheap’ route. Rather, we should see this as an opportunity to take the time to take up cleaner and more efficient technologies that manage environmental, health and social impacts better,” Tantoco said.

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