HUNGRY for power sources that have yet to be utilized fully for the nation’s energy mix, the government is eyeing the possibility of nuclear energy. It was the first President Ferdinand Marcos who wanted to go nuclear more than 40 years ago, with the construction of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), an expensive behemoth which was never used.
Two reasons were behind the nation’s colossal loss in the BNPP: the fall of Marcos and the rise of Cory Aquino in February, 1986 and the Chernobyl disaster in April of the same year.
Now President Bongbong Marcos is studying the possibility of using a new nuclear power technology introduced to him during his recent US visit. This one involves small modular reactors (SMRs) that are much cheaper to construct and can be moved to far-flung barangays where power is needed. But these facilities, just like their giant counterparts, will generate nuclear waste, too, which is the concern today of environmentalists.
‘While there is an ongoing discussion regarding the activation of the BNPP and the use of small modular reactors, there seems to be a lack of awareness campaign on the matter of nuclear hazard.’
This is the reason Bantay Nukleyar, a multi-sectoral activist group, held a mass action last week in Busuanga, Palawan, to protest the plan of the Japanese government to release 1.3 million tons of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Aubrey Bautista, the group’s spokesperson, said that as the threat of nuclear contamination looms large, people cannot sit idly and let Japan dump Fukushima’s toxic water in the sea, particularly the Pacific Ocean.
Disaster struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011 after a magnitude 9 earthquake hit Tohuku, Japan, triggering massive tsunamis that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast and displaced 154,000 people.
According to Japanese authorities, the wastewater in Fukushima is being stored in more than 1,000 tanks, which they say need to be removed so the plant can be decommissioned — a process expected to take 30 to 40 years.
The protesters said this intervening period could be possibly the reason the Japanese authorities want the wastewater released as soon as possible to expedite the decommissioning of the plant.
Not only Filipino fisherfolk, but also those in South Korea and China are raising their voices against the proposed release of the dangerous pollutant into the seas.
We believe a comprehensive study should be conducted to look for options for nuclear waste disposal. President Marcos may even ask Japan to forgo its plan on releasing the contaminated water and help raise awareness among the people regarding the effects of nuclear waste.
While there is an ongoing discussion regarding the activation of the BNPP and the use of small modular reactors, there seems to be a lack of awareness campaign on the matter of nuclear hazard.
Indeed, the threat of nuclear contamination knows no boundaries. It knows no political colors, orientation, gender, class or whatever. Everyone is at risk.
