Sustainable energy - at the expense of the environment?
The unfolding saga of the proposed windmill farm in Calbayog City, Samar is the latest in an ongoing tug-of-war between proponents of clean energy and those who see these projects as simply a "greenwashing" attempt by big business.
In this city, the local government unit has expressed its opposition to the installation of wind turbines within the Calbayog Pan-as Hayiban Protected Landscape (CPHPL), citing its negative impact on the city’s water supply.
Calbayog City Mayor Raymund Uy said that while they are not "totally opposing" the P20-billion project of Gemini Wind Energy Corporation (GWEC), the plan to build 13 turbines within the city's primary watershed area raises serious questions among the local government.
The city council of Calbayog has already sent a copy of its resolution to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), expressing its opposition to the plan to establish a wind farm in some parts of the 5,067.93-hectare CPHPL, according to the mayor.
The council also called for the restoration of the area’s original designation as a “strict protection zone,” after the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) reclassified it into a “multiple-use zone” —a shift that opened the door to renewable energy development.
Public hearings held on October 2 and 17 revealed broad opposition from residents, civil society groups and people’s organizations, according to the LGU.
Participants warned that erecting wind turbines in the watershed could trigger biodiversity loss, soil erosion, agricultural disruption, water scarcity, and even increased greenhouse gas emissions.
The project highlights once again the growing opposition by locals and other concerned groups to renewable-energy projects that they say comes at the cost of environmental degradation.
In Laguna province, for instance, the proposed 1,400-megawatt (MW) Ahunan Dam project in Pakil, as well as the Kalayaan 2 Wind Power Project in the towns of Kalayaan and Paete, have raised concerns among locals
The alleged cutting of trees in the mountains of eastern Laguna for these projects has been cited as a reason for the worsening floods the towns of Pakil and Paete have experienced in recent months.
(With report from PNA)
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