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Global professional services company, GHD, has received national recognition as a leader in environmental impact assessments at the EIA@40 National Convention in Manila, Philippines.
Hosted by the Philippines House of Representatives’ Committee on Ecology and the Philippine Center for Environment, Climate Studies and Sustainable Development, the EIA@40 National Convention marked four decades of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system in the Philippines.
GHD received the Exemplar EIA Report award for the Environmental Performance and Management Plan for the Southern Negros Geothermal Project (SNGP). The client, Energy Development Corporation, is the largest renewable energy company in the Philippines and received the Exemplar Proponent award at the conference.
GHD’s work will help Energy Development Corporation expand the SNGP from 222.5 MW to 282.5 MW to meet the growing demand for electricity. The Philippines ranks second globally by installed geothermal capacity, according to specialist news service ThinkGeoEnergy. The island of Negros in particular is a leader in renewable energy, with numerous geothermal, solar, biomass and hydro power projects being proposed or under development.
The EIA@40 National Convention also explored the ongoing evolution of the environmental impact assessment system in the Philippines, with GHD people receiving plaques in appreciation of their technical presentations. Dr Cindy Bryson, a social scientist, spoke on ‘Collecting Better Data Through Inclusive Social Surveys’, while Enrico Laluan, a geomatics and environmental professional, delivered a paper, titled, ‘Going Digital: A Boon or A Bane for the Philippine EIS System?’
Darren Shrives, GHD’s Country Manager – Philippines, comments, “We are immensely proud to receive this level of recognition and to share this honour with our client. By delivering outstanding environmental impact assessments, we contribute to the continuous strengthening of the Philippine EIA system as a tool for sustainable planning and development of the country’s industries and infrastructure.”
GHD is celebrating its 90th birthday this year and 20 years of continuous operations Philippines. Today it employs more than 500 people in Manila and Cebu, and is preparing to open an office in Quezon City.