Gatchalian nixes nuclear power revival

By Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star) | Updated November 16, 2016 - 12:00am

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/11/16/1644068/gatchalian-nixes-nuclear-power-revival

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is opposing the Department of Energy’s plan to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) without a clear and intensively-researched national nuclear policy.

Instead, Gatchalian suggested the $1 billion amount needed to rehabilitate the nuclear plant should be redirected to developing indigenous power sources.

The senator urged the DOE to first commission a comprehensive feasibility study on the prospects of utilizing nuclear power in the Philippines before pushing for the use of the 620-megawatt (MW) BNPP or the construction of any nuclear plant.

“We cannot jump into nuclear energy on a piecemeal basis. This feasibility study on nuclear power will be critical to objectively assess the merits of adding nuclear power to our energy mix. We need to do our homework first before pulling the trigger on BNPP or any other nuclear project,” said Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy.

Gatchalian said the feasibility study would tap independent international experts in geology, nuclear physics, engineering and other key fields to independently assess the prospects of nuclear power in the Philippines, with environmental and community safety as the primordial concern.

Duterte earlier said no nuclear power plant would run within his six-year term as this should be thoroughly be studied by Congress and the Filipino people.

But last week, DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the President gave the go-signal for the rehabilitation of the BNPP after discussing the potential of nuclear energy in meeting the country’s power needs and the agency’s responsibility to look at all power sources to ensure adequate supply.

But until there are positive findings from the BNPP study, Gatchalian said it would be more prudent to invest the $1 billion required to refurbish the nuclear plant in the exploration and development of untapped indigenous energy sources, especially within the energy-rich waters of the West Philippine Sea.

“One billion dollars is a lot of money. We have to make sure that we are investing this substantial sum in cost-efficient energy ventures which are guaranteed to make significant contributions to the long-term stability of our energy supply,” he said.

The lawmaker also pointed out the regional trend of shifting away from nuclear power, citing the example of Vietnam, an ASEAN neighbor which recently decided to scrap plans to build two nuclear power plants due to economic viability concerns.

“The Vietnamese experience illustrates the necessity of undertaking hard research and crafting a comprehensive long-term plan before jumping into nuclear power. Otherwise, we are at risk of wasting significant time and resources on a nuclear white elephant,” Gatchalian said.