Philippines to tap foreign experts as revival of nuclear plant being mulled
The Philippines is open to tap the expertise of other countries, like Japan, in nuclear energy as it mulls to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said on Friday.
In an interview in Taguig City, Cusi said the government would need technical assistance should it finally decide to operate the 40-year old power plant.
"We have to learn from the Japanese practices, we have to learn from the Korean practices, we have to learn from everybody's expertise...we are open into using the expertise of the other nationalities," Cusi said.
In a forum hosted by the energy department, some advocates urged the government to consider operating the 620-megawatt nuclear plant to provide cheaper and clean energy.
Mauro Marcelo Jr., department manager of the state-owned National Power Corporation, said based on their estimate, using nuclear power, power generation costs could go down to P1.50 per kilowatt hour from the current P3-5 per kwh.
But a feasibility study of the nuclear plant by the Korea Electric Power Corp. during the Arroyo administration said it would cost about $1 billion to rehabilitate the power plant and it would take four years to recommission it, said the official, who is the head in maintaining the BNPP, which has been mothballed since 1986.
In the same study, Kepco said 24 percent of about 6,000 plant systems and equipment must be replaced.
Former Tarlac Representative Mark Cojuangco blamed the media for the negative reports about the nuclear energy.
He cited a study by the World Health Organization that compared to other sources of energy, deaths from nuclear per terra watt hour was 90 as against coal, which was 170,000; oil, 36,000; biofuel, 40,000; natural gas, 4,000; solar, 440; and wind, 150.
"It implies nuclear is the safest ever invented by human kind," he said.
Marcelo disputed the belief that the nuclear plant is near a fault and volcano has been inactive for thousands of years. He said the plant will just shut down if an intensity 8 quake strikes
The government continues to spend huge amount of money for the maintenance of the Bataan nuclear plant
Marcelo said before it sold its uranium fuel in December 1997, the government allotted P300 million a year to maintain the plant. After the sale, the budget was maintained at P50 million a year. But during the Aquino administration, the allocation was lowered to P27 million annually.
Some 16 people have been manning the BNPP, which is located 18 meters above sea level in Morong, Bataan. Celerina Monte/DMS
