by Myrna
Velasco March 1, 2016
Houston,
Texas – Not wanting to be outdone by neighbor Vietnam, the Philippines has
asserted that it will slot in “nuclear option” in its bid to re-balance its
power mix in the future.
“We
are working on 30-30-30 fuel mix, so there’s a balance of 10 percent and that
we are looking for nuclear as still an option because it’s a low carbon
technology,” Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada has shared
to global energy stakeholders during the IHS-CERA Week in this energy-rich
state.
The
“30-30-30 rule” refers to the share of technologies in the propounded energy
mix for the Philippines – ideally, to be distributed evenly to coal, renewable
energy, and gas resources plus other technologies.
Vietnam,
for its part, noted that it will already firm up its “nuclear ambition” around
2018 with targeted commercial operation around 2021 to 2023. Manifestly, for
many power markets in the world, “nuclear renaissance” is not dead even after
the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
For
the Philippines though, the planning and investment horizon for it could be a
little longer – as nuclear is already set as an “option technology” further
into the future – or within the planning period stretching to year 2030.
“Some
of the technologies we are exploring is modular nuclear power facility, but I
understand it is not commercially viable yet, but we are open to the nuclear option
and to building capacity,” Monsada stressed.
The
biggest challenge for the Philippines later on will be rebalancing its power
mix, with many of the power plant developments now leaning on coal
technologies. As far as nuclear is concerned, Monsada said one of the biggest
puzzles is whether or not there would still be a chance for the idled Bataan
Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) to be brought back into operation.
“That
plant that has been inspected again by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy
Agency) and by Korea looking at the possibility of operating it again, it can
be operated but there has to be rehabilitation and it would take 2 to 4 years,”
the energy secretary said.
Notably,
based on the experience of other countries, the gestation period for nuclear
power development could take 10 to 25 years – from site selection to managing
public dissent up to actual project construction.
For
markets that are roughly starting from scratch again like the Philippines, it
will need to prepare and develop the skills and knowledge of its workforce; as
well as craft the policy and regulation frameworks for such technology
deployment.
As
emphasized, expertise in the operation of nuclear power facilities would be a
key domain that must be given attention because mere ‘human error’ could
trigger detrimental level of radiation leaks.
And
following the Fukushima tragedy of 2011, energy markets have also grown wary of
the needed technology improvements so nuclear facilities could withstand risks
of extreme natural disasters.
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