Following the approval of President Duterte of the inclusion of nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix for power generation alongwith the development of a nuclear power program, the Department of Energy (DOE) said a regulatory framework on the policy still required legislation and its future also hinges on the agenda of the next administration.
Executive Order (EO) 164 signed February 28 and made public yesterday, could be a major milestone for an economy which suffers seasonal power outages and high electricity prices but will concern opponents of the move.
“We need… the regulatory framework and under the current Philippine Energy Plan, our target is by 2027 (is to start the rollout of nuclear energy investments),” said DOE Undersecretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr., in an online briefing yesterday.
Erguiza said 15 areas were identified as deemed viable for possible hosting of nuclear power plants due to their isolation and the availability of cooling systems: Bataan, Batangas, Cagayan, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Zamboanga del Norte, Quezon Province and Sulu, among others.
EO 164 also ordered concerned agencies to ensure that a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework is in place to support the Nuclear Energy Program.
“Bills relating to the Nuclear Energy Program, such as the establishment of an independent regulatory body, proposed amendments to existing laws, rules and regulations, and the ratification of pending treaties and conventions shall be urgently pursued,” Duterte said in the EO.
The DOE is also directed to coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Foreign Affairs, and to liaise with the International Atomic Energy Agency for the updating of the country’s Integrated Work Plan and the Country Nuclear Infrastructure Profile.
Studies led by the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC), showed the projected demand for a clean energy pathway in the country is expected to grow at 4.4 percent a year which requires almost 68 gigawatts (GW) of additional capacity by 2040.
“Considering this demand and the depletion of natural gas resources, nuclear power will play an important role to contribute to the required capacity to achieve energy security, especially to meet the needs of an emerging upper middle income country,” the EO read.
The order also directs NEP-IAC to look into reopening the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).
Previous attempts to pursue nuclear energy in the Philippines were halted over safety concerns, but the new plan is anchored to a proposal to revive BNPP.
Completed in 1984, the plant was mothballed two years later following former President Marcos’ ouster and the deadly Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Since 2009, BNPP has operated as a tourist attraction, helping defray the cost of maintaining it.
A 2019 Public Perception Survey on Nuclear Energy showed that around 79 percent of Filipinos also expressed approval of the possible use or rehabilitation of an existing nuclear power plant, while around 65 percent approved the building of new nuclear power plants.
The survey also found that more than 78 percent were willing to learn more about nuclear energy.
Meanwhile, environmental group Greenpeace demanded for the revocation of the policy citing that is “not aligned” with the interest of the public.
“The Duterte administration is about to leave a tarred legacy and is setting us up for another horror story like Chernobyl and Fukushima and that of countries that utilize nuclear power but have no solution to radioactive spent fuel waste. Current and future generations will be left to face the dangerous risks of harnessing nuclear energy, along with the impacts of the climate crisis,” said Khevin Yu, Greenpeace campaigner.
Greenpeace said the next administration’s first order of business should be to scrap EO 164.
The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities said pursuing nuclear energy is inconsistent with the goal of the DOE to modernize the power sector and must instead focus on making the sector demand-driven while staying affordable and reliable.
“We need to take modernization of the power sector far more seriously and that begins with a power sector that relies more and more on flexible and distributed generation. The Philippines has an abundance of variable reliable power in the form of wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydro resources remain untapped – including the irreversible rise of storage options,” said Renato Redentor Constantino, ICSC executive director. With Jed Macapagal and Reuters
