Gov’t puts Semirara, 2 other coal areas on auction block
The government launched on Friday the bidding process for three coal areas, including the prized Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique.
Semirara is one of the three predetermined areas (PDAs) covering 18,000 hectares with 207.5 million metric tons of coal reserves.
The Department of Energy (DOE) estimated that the Semirara blocks have a potential coal reserve of 160 million metric tons—the biggest among the three PDAs.
These are currently operated by Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC), whose contract is set to lapse by July 2027.
The second PDA is Amulung and Iguig in Cagayan.
The potential coal reserve is pegged at 23.5 million MT.
The last areas up for grabs are located in Cauyan, Benito Soliven and Naguilian in Isabela province.
Industry players wanting to participate in the bidding must submit a five-year work program with annual expenditures.
A presubmission conference will be conducted on March 19, while the deadline for the submission of applications is set on April 28.
SMPC already signified its interest in joining the auction. Billionaire Manuel Pangilinan likewise showed the desire to get a coal contract for its power generation business, Meralco PowerGen Corp.
