SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. has asked a Makati court to rule on a Department of Energy (DOE) demand that it release proprietary information ahead of a planned coal contract auction.
The company, which operates a coal mine on Semirara Island in Antique, earlier this year lost its bid to have its contract renewed after it expires in July 2027. The Energy department had initially planned an April auction but suspended the bidding to address issues raised by prospective participants.
Semirara, which plans to join the auction and is banking on its having developed the mine, claims the Energy department plans to share the requested data to other bidders.
In a statement on Friday, Semirara said that it had filed a petition for declaratory relief before Branch 41 of the Makati Regional Trial Court. It argued that since the company owned the assets by virtue of its coal operating contract, rival bidders should not base their offers using the requested data.
Prospective bidders should undertake their own technical studies and develop their own approaches rather than relying on information generated through decades of Semirara investments and expertise, the company said.
Semirara claimed the government would only own the assets if these were not removed within one year after the coal contract’s expiry.
“Government ownership of these assets is merely future and conditional,” it added.
“The bidding is supposed to choose a winner that has a viable mine plan and knows how to run one to make sure coal production is seamless to protect the country’s baseload electricity generation. It is not about us, the company, and how we run the mine.”
The Energy department was said to have sent four letters ordering the submission of detailed information regarding mine assets, including geological and technical data and a list of equipment.
The department contended that the assets would become the property of the government once Semirara had recovered its costs.
The company said the court petition was not intended to stop or delay the bidding process but instead sought to secure clarity on a legal issue that potentially could harm its legal and financial interests.
It added that it remained committed to participating in the bid, cooperating with the Energy department and complying with its regulatory obligations.
The court filing would not impact ongoing mining operations, Semirara also said.
The company’s share price rose by 15 centavos, or 0.75 percent, to P20.25 on Friday amid a 1.25-percent gain for the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index.