KULANG ang ginawang pagbawi ng Ayala Corporation na sinabing hindi na nila itutuloy ang kanilang ‘Coal Investment’ sa bansa sa taong 2030 kung ibebenta naman ng mga ito ang kanilang mga planta sa ibang generation companies (GenCos).
Ito ang inihayag ng grupo ng Power for Peoples Coalition (P4P) kasunod ng anunsyo ng nasabing kumpanya na hindi na sila mamumuhunan pa sa Karbon.
“If Ayala Corporation can make good on its promise, and it does not transfer its coal assets to other companies but rather shuts them down completely, then this is a real, tangible improvement in our coal situation. Ayala Corporation would have then made a truly significant impact in improving our environment,” pahayag ni P4P Convenor Gerry Arances.
Sa mensahe sa stockholders, sinabi ni Ayala Corporation chair Fernando Zobel de Ayala na ang corporation’s energy arm, AC Energy Philippines, ay dapat na mangako rin sa transisyon na babaan ang ‘carbon portfolio’ sa pamamagitan ng muling pagbalanse ng ‘generation portfolio’ upang lumaki ang renewable energy assets.
“The Power for People Coalition considers the announcement of the Ayala Corporation to be a major victory in the movement against coal. AC is one of the country’s largest investors in coal and this decision shows that divesting from coal can be a sound business strategy that San Miguel and Aboitiz can follow,” saad pa ni Arances.
Gayunman, nagpahayag pa rin ng agam-agam ang clean energy advocate dahil ang sinasabing ‘divestment’ ng Ayala ay posibleng paglilipat lang ng kanilang ‘assets’ sa ibang korporasyon, na nangyari noong 2018 kung saan ibinenta ang coal power plants sa Aboitiz.
“We should see if there will actually be an effect on the proportion of coal in the country’s energy mix. After all, Ayala can just sell its dirty investments to other companies, which will clean its portfolio but not really reduce coal emissions in the country,” ani Arances.
Binigyang diin ni Arances na kung totoo ang pagbawi ng dirty investment ng Ayala, ito ay magandang balita para sa Earth Day dahil ang karbon ay nananatiling isa sa pinakamalaking mga mapagkukunan ng ‘greenhouse gas emissions’ na sanhi ng global warming. TJ DELOS REYES
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