Energy Development Co. (EDC) 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.
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.
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.
“This is a wrong notion because the tradeoff with coal is permanent and irreversible damage to our environment and to our overall health and well-being, as well as to the future of our natural resources,” he said.
De Vera said geothermal energy—one of EDC’s renewable energy platforms—remains the base load power of choice for energy experts because of its reliable and stable nature.
“Geothermal is a pioneering energy source that played a big role in saving our nation from economic and political turmoil in the 1970s,” he said. “It is what will save us from the threats of climate change today and in the future.”
