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The 600-megawatt LNG power plant project had been listed as one of the indicative power projects in Mindanao by the Department of Energy
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – GNPower Limited Company has canceled its planned 600-megawatt liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant project in Barangay Tacub, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, amid strong opposition from environmental and community groups.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Northern Mindanao confirmed the cancellation in a memorandum where it cited a February 2025 complaint filed by several organizations.
Groups involved in the campaign against the plan included the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Tacub Homeless Initiative in Keeping its Rights, Barangay Napo Linamon Fisherfolk Association, Mindanao Power Consumer Federation, Iligan-Lanao Movement for Climate Justice, Mangagawang Media sa Mindanao, and Sanlakas of Lanao del Norte.
PMCJ received a copy of the memorandum, but it did not cite the company’s exact reason for the discontinuation of the project, which had been listed as one of the indicative power projects in Mindanao by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The opposition centered on environmental and health concerns, including the risks posed by LNG pollution, the proximity of the proposed site to an existing coal-fired power facility, and likely damage to marine ecosystems and livelihoods of local fisherfolk.
There is a coal-fired power plant, built by the firm, in barangays Libertad and Tacub in the same town.
“The people of Kauswagan are already suffering from the existing GNPower Kauswagan coal-fired power plant. It affects their livelihood from fishing, their health, and causes pollution in the area,” the Cagayan de Oro-based Mindanao Gold Star Daily quoted PMCJ Mindanao coordinator Rara Ada in a report.
The project site also borders the Bacolod-Kauswagan protected landscape and seascapes, an area identified for protection under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.
Satellite imagery and government inspections confirmed that construction had not begun as of April 2025.
Originally targeted to begin commercial operations by December 2029, the project had secured grid impact study clearance in 2021.
However, a 2023 report by the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development flagged serious ecological risks from LNG development, such as habitat loss, coral reef damage, oil contamination, and leak hazards. The report also recommended that high-biodiversity zones be declared off-limits to such projects.
The cancellation was seen by environmental advocates as a major development in their push for renewable energy in the region. – Rappler.com
