The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking at pursuing more government-led explorations targeting critical minerals needed to transition to renewable energy (RE).
DENR Undersecretary Carlos Primo David expressed the agency’s support to the mining industry on governance and regulation, citing the country’s potential to be an important player in the global RE transition market.
“The government has a budget of P60 million for minerals exploration but it’s like a shotgun exploration. What we want to do is to focus on certain areas,” David said in a press briefing on the sideline of the Mining Philippines 2023 International Conference in Mandaluyong City yesterday.
David said the P60-million budge is not enough.
“We wanted to focus that small budget and revive exploration by government. Hopefully, when we do the initial exploration, there is enough information for the private sector to get interested and continue the exploration,” David said.
The government previously led mineral exploration projects through the Philippine Mining Development Corp. (PMDC) and the Natural Resources Development Corp.
PMDC available mining properties include gold resources in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Romblon, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Cebu. It also has sites for copper-gold, chromite, limestone, granite, silica and bentonite.
David said government-led exploration projects will enable them to identify minerals and declare more mineralized areas especially for targeted critical mineral deposits such as nickel and chromium.
“We wanted to help the industry with this critical step. Mining starts with exploration. It should be government-initiated,” David said.
The DENR said the government, through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, can also follow up on previously explored areas that were eventually dropped or discontinued.
The agency said the government is seeking investors for at least three additional mining processing plants within the term of the current administration.
David said Zambales, Palawan and Caraga are being considered as possible sites.
David said the government wants to put up the country’s next mineral processing plant in Zambales where five operating nickel mining projects are operating.
The country only has two mineral processing plants, the Coral Bay in Rio Tuba, Palawan and the Taganito in Claver, Surigao del Norte which are both high pressure acid leach plants owned by Nickel Asia Corp. -Jed Macapagal
