DOE lists recommendations for lifting SMPC suspension

By Lenie Lectura -December 23, 2019
from Business Mirror

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has laid down recommendations that will lead to the lifting of the suspension order earlier imposed on Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC).

Among the recommendations are the reorganization of the SMPC’s safety department, identification of risk areas and crafting of mining methodology.

“We inspected yesterday. We validated all our recommendations. First and foremost is the safety aspect, so we recommended to reorganize the safety department, to have a consultant also for safety,” said Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos.

“Then we told them to identify the risk area, then we established a mining methodology for that.  Of course, as always, in consideration of and prioritizing the safety of the people working there,” he added.

These recommendations, upon compliance, will eventually result in the lifting of the suspension of the company’s mining operations following a mudflow incident in Semirara Island in Antique, in October.

The agency is now evaluating if the company has complied with the recommendations. “We have done three inspections. Every inspection, they submit supplemental accomplishments, documents so we have to validate them. Yesterday was their third and final compliance,” he said.

If the final evaluation shows 100-percent compliance, Marcos said the suspension order could be lifted before the year ends.

SMPC earlier said that despite the suspension of mining activities, it still met its output target for the year.

It had expected opportunity loss in production per day to reach 40,000 to 45,000 metric tons due to the incident. Still, the company’s total production already reached 14.5 million metric tons (MMT), 12 percent higher than the year ago.

Coal shipment also increased by 26 percent to 14.6 MMT.