Government may consider constructing a new nuclear power plant other than the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant if studies would recommend it.
Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Dalipe made this disclosure as he defended on Friday, Oct. 2, the proposed 2021 budget for the Department of Energy at the House of Representatives plenary.
Responding to interpellation of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Dalipe, vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, bared that if studies will recommend the establishment of a nuclear power plant, government is expected to give premium on safety and economy.
“Hindi natin malaman eksakto kung ang BNPP nga ang dapat i-operate. It can be in Luzon or Visayas. (We are not sure if the BNPP will be put in operation),” Dalipe said.
Lagman sought clarification from Dalipe over President Duterte’s order to the DOE to consult with Bataan residents on the possible activation of the $2 billion BNPP located in Morong.
Earlier, Duterte issued Executive Order No. 116 directing a study to be conducted in order to adopt a national stand on a nuclear energy program. He created a nucelar energy coordinating committee to “review the existing legal framework, study the viability of a nuclear energy and recommend the necessary steps in the utilization of nuclear energy in the country.”
Lagman expressed fears that activation of the BNPP might be among the options to be considered by government should it push through with the implementation of nuclear energy program in the country.
The Albay lawmaker asked if the DOE would still consider the BNPP after the decision of previous government administrations to have it mothballed due to serious doubts as to its safety.
Lagman said studies conducted on the BNPP raised safety issues linked to its proximity to Mt. Natib, a volcano, and an active earthquake fault.
He also pointed out obsolescence could be a safety factor why the so-called “monster of Morong” should remain unutilized.
“Unlike other facilities that are operational and continue to be in operation, the BNPP was mothballed. Because of that, it cannot be compared to the other power plants of the same vintage,” Lagman stressed.
Dalipe noted that nuclear power plants in South Korea, Slovenia and Brazil were of the same make and were built around the same time BNPP was constructed. All such power plants remain operational and have not caused safety concerns since the 1970’s.
He also assured Lagman that despite Duterte’s order for a study of a nuclear power plant program, government remained committed to observe “four cornerstones” before pursuing it.
These are the establishment of a national policy which was complied with by the issuance of Executive Order No. 116; the legislative framework to be decided upon by Congress; the proposed power plants alignment with international standards, and public awareness and acceptability.
He assured the Albay lawmaker that Congress will take a significant role in determining whether or not a nuclear power plant should be established in the country.