NEGROS Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, November 21, that they have not officially received yet any notice of project stoppage from the proponents of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Power Plant project in San Carlos City.

“It’s always a business decision just like when they decided not to push through with coal for certain reasons,” Lacson said, stressing he only learned of the project stoppage through the media.

He said it is incumbent upon the proponents to make the stoppage official.

The San Miguel Corporation’s Reliance Energy Development Inc. (Redi) is proposing a 4×75-MW LNG Combined Cycle Power Plant at the San Carlos City Ecozone.

The proposed project will be constructed inside the 49-hectare property leased from Grand Planters International Inc.

Redi is eyes to start the construction of the project in the third quarter of 2023, with completion eyed in the third quarter of 2024.

Reports showed that SMC decided to no longer pursue its Environmental Compliance Certificate application for the proposed 300-MW LNG Combined Cycle Power Plant Project, and environmentalist claimed this to be theirs and Negrense’s victory.