Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Monday November 1 said turning to safe atomic power could be a viable option considering the rising prices of oil and gas in the global market, coupled with the volatile output of some renewable energy sources.
Lacson made this categorical statement at the recently concluded “Meet the Presidentiables” forum, where he laid out his future-proof economic strategies for the Philippines once he gets elected to lead the country next year.
The presidential aspirant was asked if he would be amenable towards the operation of nuclear power plants in the future, as other countries have been, to address potential surges in electricity demand by households and industries while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
“Nuclear? Yes. Provided all the safety measures are in place, then, why not? Because other countries are into nuclear power plants, putting up nuclear power plants,” Lacson answered affirmatively.
“Because of our experience in the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), medyo negative ang dating (it was taken negatively). But we should take a second look at this opportunity to reopen provided all the safety measures are in place. That is my position. The answer is yes,” he added.
Despite earning mixed to generally negative reviews among stakeholders over the years, nuclear energy remains as one of the popular ways to generate maximum electricity at relatively lower cost to the consumers.
Unlike coal-based power plants and other non-renewable energy sources, nuclear reactors do not pollute the air or emit greenhouse gases. However, they produce extremely toxic radioactive waste materials in the process that are challenging to manage and contain.
While keeping his mind open on the adoption of alternative energy sources, Lacson maintained that he would learn from the past as well as the experiences of other nations when it comes to his energy policy and with respect to his position on climate change.
Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense and Security committee, said he is aware that many countries in Europe are currently having difficulty to strike a balance between their energy and environmental policies since it is quite unrealistic to rely purely on renewable energy sources alone.
“You know, this is a complicated problem because, as you said, there are dangers, there are risks involved... We don't have the technical expertise to analyze all these, and we should learn from the mistakes of other countries,” Lacson told forum moderator lawyer Mike Toledo.
“But, yes, climate change is one thing that we should really address. We already experienced ‘Yolanda,’ the Typhoon ‘Haiyan’ that wreaked havoc central Philippines. I, myself, saw the devastation and the suffering of our people there,” he added.
Lacson oversaw the build back better efforts of the government post-Haiyan when he led the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery under former President Benigno S. Aquino III from December 2013 to February 2015.
“We should learn from the lessons of the other countries who have the wherewithal to really go deep into analyzing the effects of climate change and the introduction of renewable or alternative energy,” he stressed.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the aggregate power generation output from all operational plants in the country fell by 4.0 percent to reach 101.8 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2020 amid a pandemic-induced recession that resulted in lower economy-wide electricity demand.
Coal power plants contributed more than half of those output at 57.2 percent (58.2 TWh), followed by natural gas at 19.2 percent (19.5 TWh), geothermal at 10.6 percent (10.8 TWh), and hydropower at 7.1 percent (7.2 TWh).
“On the other hand, the combined generation output of solar, wind and biomass recorded at 3.7 TWh, representing 3.6 percent share of the total generation mix during the period,” the DOE added based on its 2020 Philippine Energy Situation and Key Energy Statistics report.