by Gerelyn Terzo of Sharemoney

Coal is the most common fossil fuel used to generate electricity. In the Philippines, it represents 40% of power production capacity, outpacing all other sources of energy - but it is also the dirtiest.

That’s why the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) in November 2020 drew a line in the sand and placed a moratorium on any applications for projects on “undeveloped greenfield sites” that rely on coal. Take the Calaca power station, a 900MW coal-fired power plant located in the City of Batangas. It was on course to bolster capacity by some 700MW, plans that were subsequently nixed as a result of last year’s ban.