Quezon community wins against LNG after gas turbine sale

Quezon City, Philippines — Residents of Pagbilao victoriously welcome the announcement of Australia-based Energy World Corp. (EWC) on June 2, 2026, on the sale of heavy-duty fossil gas turbines to a US-based company. The gas turbines were originally intended for EWC's proposed 650 Megawatt (MW) gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Pagbilao, Quezon.

“Importante ang ganitong mga panalo para sa aming mga apektadong komunidad,” said Domingo ‘Ka Domeng’ Moreno, a community leader from Tagapagtanggol ng Kalikasan sa Pagbilao (Nature Defenders of Pagbilao). “Tumatagal ng ilang taon ang anumang tugon mula sa pamahalaan kapag nagrereklamo kami tungkol sa pagkakasakit ng aming mga anak dahil sa Therma Energy power plant. Kung minsan, pinanghihinaan kami ng loob. Normal iyon. Ano ba naman ang laban namin sa mga dambuhalang kumpanya at multinasyonal na korporasyon? Pero ang ganitong mga tagumpay ang patunay na may magagawa at may saysay ang pagkilos laban sa mga mapanirang proyekto at mga mapang-aping mayayaman at pulitiko na nagtutulak sa mga ito. Binabati ko ang lahat ng aking mga kasama sa probinsya ng Quezon para sa tagumpay na ito. Mabuhay tayong lahat!”

[“These victories are important to us, affected communities. [...] It takes years to get any response from the government when we complain about the illness of our children due to the Therma Energy power plant. Sometimes, we are discouraged. That is normal. What can small townspeople do against giant companies and multinational corporations? But these victories are proof that every action against destructive projects and the oppressive rich and politicians who push them is meaningful. I congratulate all my comrades in the province of Quezon for this victory. Long live!”]

Ka Domeng is one of the residents of Brgy. Ibabang Polo in Pagbilao, who also filed a complaint last August 2024 at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), seeking invalidation of the ‘illegally’ conducted public scoping for another liquified natural gas (LNG) project – Aboitiz-owned Pagbilao Energy Corp. power plant. The company has owned and operated the Pagbilao coal plant for years, even though it causes diseases in nearby communities and disrupts people’s livelihoods.

He is also among those who campaigned against the EWC application in Pagbilao, alongside other residents and local organizations, including Quezon for the Environment (QUEEN) and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ).

“We raise this win with the Pagbilao plant-affected communities, who are staunch in resisting environmentally-destructive projects. Pagbilao and the whole of Quezon province are lucky to have such firm community members who actively fight the powers-that-be and challenge them to genuinely serve the people and the environment. The Church is proud of this victory. We vow to continue fighting alongside the marginalized in pursuit of social, ecological, and climate justice,” said Fr. Warren Puno of QUEEN.

Ian Rivera, national coordinator of the PMCJ, swore that the climate justice movement in Quezon has seen this coming. He highlighted that a combination of local supply chain bottlenecks, extreme global fuel price volatility, a global shortage of gas turbines, campaigns and resistance versus zoning, land use change and reclassification of land for the LNG project, the stalling of the project for 10 years, resulting in only 70% complete in 2024, and the Philippines' accelerating pivot toward cheaper renewable energy sources led to the EWC LNG project's demise.

“It is not just the economics that killed the EWC LNG project. It is a combination of efforts and situation. There is a strong campaign against the project by groups involved in fossil fuel campaigning in Quezon province. The project is also plagued by over a decade of delays, mainly due to the permitting process and construction delays for power transmission lines. The momentum of LNG project cancellations from Kauswagan to Batangas, and now in Quezon, is a signal that can't be ignored. The remaining gas and terminal projects in the pipeline should be canceled. Together with the dying coal industry, LNG is never the answer, and our call has always been proven that issues against LNG will eventually render its failure,” Rivera said.

It is forecasted that no new LNG-fired power plants will come through in the country this decade, as no project has progressed beyond the initial stages of development. Recent research by BloombergNEF shows that in the Philippines, solar energy is cheaper than coal and gas.

“In this era, when the socio-political and environmental conditions are worsening, we should stand united against the forces that exacerbate people's suffering and the planet's destruction. Pagbilao residents, including Ka Domeng, were reportedly harassed. As a Church, we are called not only to preach the Gospel but to live it through concrete acts of solidarity and care for the vulnerable. God walks with those who suffer and with those who work peacefully for justice. We must respond with hope, courage, and action,” said Rev. Msgr. Noel Villareal, Parish Priest of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Pagbilao. ###

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