By: Allan Macatuno 04:27 AM September 17th, 2016
Cost or safety?
The debate on the use
of nuclear energy to answer the country’s increasing demand for power has
boiled down to concerns about the safety of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power
Plant (BNPP) against its cost-effective energy supply.
On a visit at the
Morong, Bataan site of the BNPP on Friday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed
reservations about using the 620-megawatt power plant completed during the term
of deposed President Ferdinand Marcos because of “safety and structural
concerns,” while Senators Nancy Binay and JV Ejercito said they were open
to exploring nuclear power as the country looked for reliable and cheaper
sources of energy.
Gatchalian, who chairs
the Senate committee on energy, cautioned against using the BNPP, which he
described as “old” and “full of controversies.”
“If we want to go into
nuclear power, let’s do it right from the beginning, meaning let’s use the
latest technology,” the senator said, adding that the BNPP was built 40 years
ago, “so [the structure] is old.”
“We have to make sure
that everyone is consulted—the communities, province, even religious
groups, so that everyone is heard and their fears addressed,” he added.
“We can study nuclear
power but not the revival of the BNPP,” Gatchalian said.
‘Exaggerated fears’
Ejercito said the
nuclear plant could bring down power cost that, in turn, could revive the
manufacturing industry. The condition of the BNPP “was still good,” and
“it could still be revived,” the senator added.
Former Pangasinan Rep.
Mark Cojuangco, who joined the senators during the visit to the plant, also
supported reviving the BNPP and said “exaggerated fears” were preventing the
country from using the nuclear power plant.
“The BNPP is safe. A
nuclear power plant emits nothing. It means less carbon dioxide and pollution
everywhere,” said Cojuangco, who was a resource speaker during a technical
briefing for journalists in Bagac town.
“There’s a 50-year
history (in the) nuclear power industry that can attest to the fact that
a nuclear power plant is safe,” he added.
According to Mauro
Marcelo, manager of the National Power Corp. asset preservation department, an
estimated $1 billion would be needed to rehabilitate the BNPP while
constructing a new nuclear power plant would cost around $6 billion.
Safety concerns
The BNPP was completed
in 1984 and had been set for commercial operations in June 1985 but it was
mothballed by President Corazon Aquino in 1986 due to safety concerns.
The nuclear plant cost
the government some $2 billion, with Filipino taxpayers carrying the burden of
paying $300,000 in daily interests for the loans borrowed by the Marcos
administration.
Reopening the BNPP
would require a $1-billion investment, according to Energy Secretary Alfonso
Cusi who did not attend the inspection, an amount that Gatchalian said the
government could spend for “more feasible energy-generation projects.”
“This is just the first
step. Next hearing, maybe we can invite those who oppose [nuclear power],” said
committee vice chair Binay, who said she was in favor of operating the BNPP if
it passed standards and proves itself to be cost-effective. With a report
from Ana Roa, Inquirer Research/TVJ
No comments:
Post a Comment