The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism travelled to the site of Mindanao’s first coal-fired power plant—STEAG State Power Inc in Misamis Oriental—for its new series on energy transition.
“STEAG Mindanao Coal” is a candidate for the Early Transition Mechanism (ETM) project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It offers incentives for coal plant owners to phase out their facilities and replace their capacity with renewable energy.
The early retirement of STEAG was meant to be an important part of the energy transition strategy of the Philippines, which has set ambitious targets to increase the share of renewable power in the country’s energy mix to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040.
Environmental groups were surprised when, a year after STEAG was identified as among the candidates for the ETM mechanism, the Aboitiz Group—one of the country’s biggest power producers—acquired controlling shares of the plant.
in February this year, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would revisit plans for the early shutdown of the coal plant.
“It is literally a running battleground for energy transition,” said Bencyrus Ellorin, chairperson of Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment, a local think tank.
READ THE REPORT: IN ONE SMALL TOWN, A COAL PLANT MAY HOLD THE KEY TO PHILIPPINES’ DIRTY ENERGY EXIT
Manila Journalist 
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