By Butch Fernandez & Lenie
Lectura - May 17, 2018
Congress needs to fast-track the
passage of an enabling legislation for the country to develop nuclear
technology as an “alternative energy” source, Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian said
on Thursday, citing the lack of legal framework to add nuclear power in the
energy mix. Currently, the Department of Energy (DOE) is studying the
possibility of adding nuclear power to the country’s energy mix.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate
Committee on Energy, however, noted there is “a wide range of issues we need to
explore and thresh out before we can accurately measure the true potential of
nuclear technology” as an alternative energy source in the Philippines.
Should the Philippines decide to
pursue adding nuclear power to the energy mix, the senator suggested that a
comprehensive legal framework on the use of nuclear power would first need to
be crafted to tackle issues, such as: (a) the structure and powers of the
regulatory body; (b) licensing, inspection and enforcement; (c) radiation
protection; (d) sources of radiation and radioactive material; (e) safety of
nuclear facilities; (f) emergency preparedness and response; (g) transport of
radioactive material; (h) radioactive waste and spent fuel; (i) nuclear
liability and coverage; (j) non-proliferation and physical protection; (k)
export and import controls; and (l) physical protection.
In a news statement, Gatchalian
acknowledged that the Philippines still “has a lot to learn from more
advanced countries with respect to the development of nuclear technology as a
national power resource.”
He noted that, at present, the
country’s only existing nuclear energy body is the Philippine Nuclear
Research Institute (PNRI) under the Department of Science and Technology, whose
functions center around radiation and nuclear research and development.
“All of the gaps in our nuclear
energy legal framework would first need to be addressed by passing
comprehensive legislation,” Gatchalian said.
The Philippines, he added, has yet
to ratify three key international nuclear conventions, namely the Convention on
Nuclear Safety, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and
the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, and the amendment to the Convention
on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.
Moreover, the lawmaker
said a strong national framework on nuclear power “must be compliant
with international standards on safety, security, safeguards and liability.”
Gatchalian participated in a study
tour earlier this month to learn about the current nuclear technologies of
certain European countries. He was part of the delegation led by Senate
President Aquilino L. Pimentel III and joined by DOE Undersecretary Donato Marcos,
chairman of the Philippines Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization,
and Dr. Carlo Arcilla, director of the PNRI.
Among the sites the delegation
visited were the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Office of Legal
Affairs and the IAEA Seidersdorf Laborary—both in the Vienna, Austria—and the
Slovenia Nuclear Safety Administration and the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant,
which are both found in Slovenia.
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