According to a recently released report by the Philippine Statistics Authority, coal extractions were on the rise between 2000 and 2017, which has also resulted in an increase in the country’s coal reserves.

Data from the report noted coal extraction has “increased by almost ninefold,” showing a growth from 1.4 million metric tons in 2000 to 13.3 million metric tons in 2017. The extractions contributed to over 100 million metric tons in coal reserves.

Meanwhile, coal reserves overall grew from 413.7 million metric tons in 2000 to 596.5 million at the end of 2017.

Last month, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. issued an executive order declaring the province “coal-free.”

The move was lauded by environmental groups, most notably, the Philippine division of the Climate Reality Project, a non-profit organization founded by former US Vice President Al Gore.

“It is our hope that the province serves as a model for others to break free from coal and commit to the fight to solve the climate crisis,” the organization said in a social media post. “We expect all sectors of the province to work together to turn this vision of a coal-free Negros Occidental into a reality.”

Department of Energy (DOE) officials earlier indicated Negros Occidental is the only major area of the entire Visayas region that will have no reliable inland power source within the next five years.

DOE-Visayas energy management division chief, Engr. Rey Maleza, explained both Cebu and Iloilo are expected to open coal-fired power plants within the year, with two located in Cebu and one in Iloilo./WDJ