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HomeFront PageProcessed engineered fuel is a tarriff commodity - Holcim

Processed engineered fuel is a tarriff commodity – Holcim

HOLCIM Philippines insisted on Friday that processed engineered fuel is a legal commodity listed under the tariff book of the Bureau of Customs – and all other Customs agencies throughout the world.

This is contrary to the remarks made by Mindanao Conrainer Terminal Customs collector John Simon who claimed that the indicated declaration of a Holcims shipment that was intercepted last month is not found in the BOC tariff code book. 

Holcim Philippines vice president for alternative fuels Frederic Vallat showed reporters on Friday a certification from the Philippine Tariff Commission dated June 4, 2015 classifying processed engineered fuel as a legal commodity with the following contents:  plastics, wood, rubber, textiles and broken furniture.

The document was signed by Edgardo Abon, Philippine Tariff Commission chairman.

Earlier, Simon said he ordered the shipment held upon reading that the cargo was originally declared as “processed engineered fuel” by the broker and consignee.

“Processed engineered fuel is not a commodity that is listed in any tariff book in the world, particularly here in the Philippines. So it rang an alarm signal on my head and I ordered the shipment held,” Simon said.

Vallat said most cement plants around the world now use 50 percent processed engineered fuel to fire up their facilities in lieu of coal, thereby reducing carbon footprint.

In 2018, the Lugait plant of Holcim Philippines used a total of 142 tons of imported Australian waste to burn and mold raw limestone into consumer quality cement. That totaled only 0.3 percent of their fuel needs. The rest is fed by coal and a negligible amount of locally-produced biomass and municipal wastes from their host municipality of Lugait.

Holcim Philippines maintains a total of five plants nationwide. Only its Davao and Lugait plants use processed engineered fuel momentarily.

There was no problem with Customs regarding the Davao-bound shipment, according to Holcim Philippines external relations officer Donjie Carreon.

Vallat said that Holcim Philippines has slated to use 1,499 tons of processed engineered fuel for their Lugait operations this year.

But with their cargo impounded at the Mindanao Container Terminal, Holcim Philippines will use coal in the meantime.

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