Philippines gets closer to reviving nuclear power
The Philippines has taken a new step towards reviving nuclear power in the country after President Rodrigo Duterte created an inter-agency panel to study the adoption of a national nuclear energy policy, Philippine energy secretary Alfonso Cusi said on July 29.
The move comes after considerations rekindled last year to tap nuclear power in order to address persistent electricity shortages across the country and as a way to reduce the Philippines’ electricity costs, Southeast Asia’s highest.
Cusi in particular has been advocating the use of nuclear power despite public concern over safety in a country hit frequently by natural disasters.
In an executive order, Duterte created a committee to conduct the study, indicating openness to reviving the country’s nuclear energy ambitions after a long hiatus following the closure of the country’s only nuclear power facility, the 621-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which was completed in 1984 but mothballed an never used following the devastating Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the collapse of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, who ordered its construction, in the same year.
The Philippines spent $2.3 billion to build what was Southeast Asia’s only nuclear power facility.
Shaking up the Philippine power mix
Cusi welcomed Duterte’s move as “a major step towards the realisation of a Philippine nuclear energy programme” that would “help shield our consumers from traditional power price volatilities”.
The committee will assess the feasibility of adding nuclear power to the Philippines’ power mix, taking into account economic, security and environmental implications.
If it goes ahead, it could either build new facilities or rehabilitate the Bataan plant. Previous attempts to pursue nuclear energy have failed due to safety concerns and its association with Marcos’ dictatorship.
Despite having no distinctive nuclear power policy, the Philippines has been in talks with Russian state atomic company Rosatom about a feasibility study for deploying small nuclear plants in far-flung areas. There were also talks with suppliers from South Korea, China and the US.
The Philippines has taken a new step towards reviving nuclear power in the country after President Rodrigo Duterte created an inter-agency panel to study the adoption of a national nuclear energy policy, Philippine energy secretary Alfonso Cusi said on July 29. The move comes after considerations rekindled last year to tap nuclear power in order to address persistent electricity shortages across the country and as a way to reduce the Philippines’ electricity costs, Southeast Asia’s highest. Cusi in particular has been advocating the use of nuclear power despite public concern over safety in a country hit frequently by natural disasters....
The Philippines has taken a new step towards reviving nuclear power in the country after President Rodrigo Duterte created an inter-agency panel to study the adoption of a national nuclear energy policy, Philippine energy secretary Alfonso Cusi said on July 29.
The move comes after considerations rekindled last year to tap nuclear power in order to address persistent electricity shortages across the country and as a way to reduce the Philippines’ electricity costs, Southeast Asia’s highest.
Cusi in particular has been advocating the use of nuclear power despite public concern over safety in a country hit frequently by natural disasters.
In an executive order, Duterte created a committee to conduct the study, indicating openness to reviving the country’s nuclear energy ambitions after a long hiatus following the closure of the country’s only nuclear power facility, the 621-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which was completed in 1984 but mothballed an never used following the devastating Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the collapse of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, who ordered its construction, in the same year.
The Philippines spent $2.3 billion to build what was Southeast Asia’s only nuclear power facility.
Shaking up the Philippine power mix
Cusi welcomed Duterte’s move as “a major step towards the realisation of a Philippine nuclear energy programme” that would “help shield our consumers from traditional power price volatilities”.
The committee will assess the feasibility of adding nuclear power to the Philippines’ power mix, taking into account economic, security and environmental implications.
If it goes ahead, it could either build new facilities or rehabilitate the Bataan plant. Previous attempts to pursue nuclear energy have failed due to safety concerns and its association with Marcos’ dictatorship.
Despite having no distinctive nuclear power policy, the Philippines has been in talks with Russian state atomic company Rosatom about a feasibility study for deploying small nuclear plants in far-flung areas. There were also talks with suppliers from South Korea, China and the US.
