The Department of Energy has confirmed it will proceed with an auction for the Semirara Island coal mine, even after the current concession holder filed a court request to block the release of proprietary data.
Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said the government will announce a decision within a month and is still deciding how to evaluate the bids.
The auction is temporarily paused as authorities work to establish procedures for brownfield projects, such as the long‑operated Semirara mine, which has been run by Semirara Mining and Power Corp. for nearly five decades.
Consultations with the Departments of Finance, Economy, Planning and Development, and Environment and Natural Resources are underway to craft suitable guidelines, noting that existing rules cover new projects but not brownfield sites.
Bid documents were postponed from their original April 28 opening to address concerns raised by stakeholders.
The February launch of the bid round offers three coal areas that collectively contain an estimated 207 million metric tons of reserves.
The auction covers the Semirara blocks in Antique, the flagship asset of the country’s largest coal producer.
SMPC’s contract is up for auction after the company failed to secure a renewal, and it has sought court protection to prevent the Department from requiring detailed asset information from bidders.
SMPC maintains that the bidding process should focus on a viable mine plan rather than its operational methods.
Despite the petition, the Energy Secretary affirmed that the bidding will proceed as planned, citing sufficient information for the process.
