22 July 2015
(Taguig City) Department of Energy OIC-Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada led the DOE-Investigation Committee (DOE-IC) yesterday and inspected the site of the 17 July 2015 incident at Coal Operating Contract (COC) No. 5 at Semirara, Antique.
"We are here to further the investigation with the expanded DOE-IC which now includes more mining engineers" said Monsada. In a preliminary report, the DOE-IC indicated that the incident was due to a slope failure characterized by the slumping of back fill materials with a height of 61 meters. The continuous rainfall of 2 weeks prior may have also played a factor. Further, the circumstances behind the recent incident were different from those of 2013 February. Nevertheless, the DOE-IC notes of the compliance with the conditions for the operation of the North Panian pit. The preliminary report was submitted by the DOE-IC last 20 July 2015 after its initial inspection on 18 July 2015.
The visit also served as an opportunity for the DOE chief to personally condole with the families of the victims. All 9 victims have been accounted for in the latest report of Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) to the DOE.
"We have reached out to other government agencies and will be sharing our observations with them. In fact, apart from Caluya Mayor Genevieve Lim, we are joined by representatives of the Department of Labor and Employment through the Occupational Health and Safety Center (DOLE-OHSC) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Region 6 in the inspection" said Monsada.
The DOE welcomes the recent statement from SMPC that it will prioritize domestic coal consumption. Earlier, given the potential impact on the power sector of any coal supply disruption, the DOE was inclined to issue a directive for SMPC to limit for domestic use its current coal stock to service local power plants. “We are coordinating with power plants to determine the inventory of existing power plants and cement plants serviced by COC No. 5. Data indicates that COC No. 5 supplies 1,593 MW of grid connected power (Luzon and Visayas)” stressed by Monsada.
The DOE assures the public of updates and continued measures to ensure no power disruptions will occur in light of these developments.