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Donnabelle L. Gatdula
Philippine Star

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said over the weekend that the government may take advantage of the offer of other countries to help the Philippines develop nuclear energy as a source of power.

“We are, of course, open to such proposal or offer. We need all the help we can get especially on technical matters,” Reyes said.

Reyes said it is best that “you open yourself for such support whether financial or technical”.

“We should take advantage of the experiences that other countries may share with us because we are technically starting all over again,” he said.

But Reyes said they are not certain yet if they would allow government or the private sector to undertake the nuclear power project. “We are still studying if it will be the government or the private sector that will build the nuclear facility or it could be a joint undertaking,” he added.

The energy chief, however, pointed out that whatever scheme they will choose, they would ensure that enough safeguards are in place before approving the construction of new nuclear power plant.

He said it is also important to note that aside from environmental concerns, the government should likewise think of energy security.

“We want to look at all options to avoid shortage of power in the future,” the energy secretary said.

An official from US-based National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (NARUC) earlier raised the possibility of helping the Philippines enter into a so-called Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) which helps emerging countries who want to use nuclear as a source of power.

Brian O’Connell, director of the nuclear waste program of the NARUC said the GNEP could assist those countries who would like to develop energy by using nuclear power.

“The gist of it is that for countries considering expansion into nuclear power that not have had it before, rather than have those countries all make investments enriching fuel for the nuclear plants and having to eventually solve the disposal problem,” he said.

He added that “this GNEP approach was let the more advanced countries collectively work together with the emerging countries for nuclear so they would not have to develop that capability either for nuke fuel or for disposal, but instead, lease the fuel from one of these countries.”

He said the Philippines may want to take a look at what the GNEP could provide.

“A power company, a corporation may go through government channels, whoever handles the relations with the US. It could be government to government,” the NARUC official said.

O’Connell said they have been getting positive response from the proposed GNEP.

“It’s very ambitious. It’s conceptual. There has been a good reaction for this idea from the advanced counties, like Russia, France, UK, Japan, and US is obviously pushing it. Some 21 countries have signed up,” he said.

Early this year, a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been tapped by the Philippine government to take a look at the plan to use nuclear as a possible source of power.

Based on the Philippine Energy Plan, it was projected that a 600-megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant will be built by 2025. This will contribute 0.885 million tonne oil equivalent (MTOE) to the projectred energy mix and will reach up to 3.54 MTOE by 2035.

Under the PEP 1998-2035, it was expected that a total capacity from nuclear will reach 2,400 MW by the end of the planning period.

The first nuclear power facility in the country, Philippine Nuclear Power-1 (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant) was supposed to operate commercially in 1986 but was mothballed due to extreme opposition from various environmental and cause-oriented groups.

Donnabelle L. Gatdula
Philippine Star

The Philippines plans to start up its first 600-megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant by 2025, according to data from the Department of Energy (DOE).

In its latest Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), it was noted that the new nuclear power facility is expected to contribute 0.885 million tonne oil equivalent (MTOE) to the projected energy mix and will reach up to 3.54 MTOE by 2035.

This means that the government has already inputted in its energy plan the power that could be generated from nuclear energy.

The DOE said it expects additional nuclear capacities of 600 MW to be in place by 2027, 2030 and 2034.

With this, the total capacity from nuclear under PEP 1998-2035 is projected to reach 2,400 MW by the end of the planning period.

The PEP said that the Arroyo administration will be pushing for capability building and enhancement on the various aspects of nuclear energy which will specifically involve training of local manpower for the possible introducton of nuclear into the country’s energy system.

The DOE is currently looking at the possibility of re-building local technical capability in nuclear sciences and engineering.

The manpower capability of the National Power Corp., the state-owned power generating firm, in nuclear engineering has declined from an original number of 710 engineers who were trained by Westinghouse and Ebasco Overseas Corp. in the eighties to 106 many of whom are due to retire in the next five to 10 years.

As a long-term solution to meet future power demand, the government is exploring two options for nuclear energy development.

One option is to rehabilitate the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). If the government decides to rehabilitate BNPP, it plans to seek technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. In 1953, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower envisioned the creation of this international body to control and develop the use of atomic energy, in his “Atoms for Peace” speech before the UN General Assembly.

The Philippine government had spent about $2.1 billion for the construction of the BNPP and is setting aside some P40 million a year for its maintenance up to now.