October 27 marks a year since frontline coal-affected communities, consumers, environmental and climate justice organizations, and faith-based groups welcomed the long-overdue and hard won coal moratorium announced by the Department of Energy (DOE). Since DOE declared that it will no longer be endorsing greenfield coal-fired power plants, ten projects across the country–from Pangasinan in Luzon to Davao del Sur in Mindanao–have been shelved, shaving off over 6 GW from the pipeline. DOE’s expression of commitment to advance clean energy as supposedly embodied by the landmark moratorium is, however, starkly contrasted by the opacity and indecision it exhibits in implementing it.

To this day, DOE has not provided clarity on the criteria for indicative projects exempted from the coal moratorium. Mired in ambiguity, the moratorium still allows several coal projects to remain in the pipeline despite failing to meet full exemption requirements. We believe that based on the criteria set by DOE itself, at least seven more projects with a combined rated capacity of 4.7 GW should be cancelled by the moratorium.

It is also suspicious that several projects suddenly appeared in DOE’s coal pipeline list, including Petron Corporation’s Refinery Solid Fuel-Fired Boiler Project – Phase 3 which was labelled “committed” in its first entry in the list, effectively and immediately exempting it from the moratorium. The status of Masinloc Power Partners Co, Ltd.’s Masinloc Power Plant Units 4 & 5 was also changed from indicative to committed at a time when the coal moratorium should already be in effect. Finally, there are also projects that have been simply “delisted” from the pipeline, without assurance that they have been or will be shelved.

A coal moratorium mired in ambiguity benefits no one–not the public servants obliged to implement it, not the proponents whose projects are in limbo, and, most certainly, not the people seeking refuge from coal’s harmful impacts, electricity spikes amidst a global energy crunch, and aggravating climate catastrophes. The DOE makes one thing clear: that it refuses to fully bare its teeth in implementing the moratorium to bring about the policy’s declared objectives of improving energy sustainability, reliability, and flexibility.

Ahead the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, where several countries will be pledging to consign coal to history, we challenge the DOE to find the audacity to finally stand with Filipinos and other vulnerable peoples, including generations yet to come who stand to lose the most in a future still powered by coal. We urge the DOE to take bold actions in support of their pronouncement against coal, starting with issuing the official list of coal-fired power projects shelved by the coal moratorium, which should include:
SMC Global Power Holdings Corp.’s 4×150 MW MW SMC Mariveles Coal-Fired Power Plant Units 1-4
Global Luzon Energy Development Corporation’s 670 MW Global Luzon Coal-Fired Power Plant
St. Raphael Power Gen Corp.’s SRPGC 2×350 MW Coal-fired Power Plant Project
H & WB Asia Pacific (PTE LTD) Corporation’s 2×350 MW H & WB PCB Supercritical Coal-Fired Power Plant
Merbau Corp.’s 600 MW Merbau Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant
Ozamis Power Gen Inc.’s 300 MW Ozamiz Coal-Fired Power Plant
Orion Pacific Prime Energy Inc.’s 1,200 MW Quezon Coal-Fired Thermal Plant Project
Masinloc Power Partners Co, Ltd.’s 2×350 MW Masinloc Power Plant
Petron Corporation’s 44 MW Refinery Solid Fuel-Fired Boiler Project – Phase 3
San Ramon Power, Inc. (SRPI)’s 120 MW San Ramon Power, Inc. Coal-Fired Power Station

A year of dawdling is enough. The climate, the health of our people and environment, and the pockets of electricity consumers cannot be made to wait any longer. Consign coal to history once and for all.

Signed,

Power for People Coalition
Acolytes, Lectors, & Commentators (AcoLeCom)
Antoniana, Tagkawayan
Apostolado ng Panalangin
Bangan Malabago Fisherfolks Association
Bilawo Vendors Association
Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED)
Coal Free Bataan Movement (CFBM)
Coal Free Central Luzon Movement (CFCLM )
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Concerned Citizen of Sta.Cruz Zambales (CCOS)
Couples For Christ – Tagkawayan
Defend Zambales
Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Palawan (ELAC)
Family Life Apostolate
Federation of Coconut Farmers and Farm Workers Association, Inc. (FECOFFWA)
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)
Gitib, Inc.
Guinabon Organic Farmers Association
Kaakbay Atimonan
Kababaihang Nagkakaisa sa Kabuhayan, Kaunlaran at Karapatan
Kapakanan
Knights of Columbus – Tagkawayan
Koalisyon Isalbay ti Pintas ti La Union (Save the Beauty of La Union Coalition)
Ladies of Charity – Tagkawayan
Lourdesiana, Tagkawayan
Ministry of Altar Servers (MOAS) Tagkawayan
Ministry of Ecology- Diocese of Lucena
Ministry of Ecology- Diocese of Gumaca
Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK)
Mother Butler’s Guild
Neo-Catechumenate – Tagkawayan
Nuclear Free Bataan Movement (NFBM)
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Parish Choir – Tagkawayan
Parish Youth Coordinating Council – Tagkawayan
Perpetual Help – Tagkawayan
Quezon for Environment (QUEEN)
Reject RPT Movement
Samahan ng mga Magsasaka sa Sta. Cruz, Zambales
San Jose – Tagkawayan
Save Sual Movement
Tagkawayan para sa Kalikasan
Talakitok Registered Assn of Pagatpat
Zambales Lingap Kalikasan (ZaLiKa)