Philippines to phase out coal in Mindanao

The government is planning to convert most of the region’s energy into hydropower.

The Philippines is planning to acquire all the coal-fired power plants in Mindanao and convert them into renewable energy, according to its Department of Finance.

"We will acquire all coal-fired power plants in the region to repurpose them as we increase the capacity of renewable energy," Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez said.

Alvarez also said that they are currently in talks with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to begin the phase-out of coal power generation and further determine the resources needed to retire a meaningful share of coal power in the country.

Concrete details of the plan may not be announced until later in the third quarter this year.