Even atoms deserve a second chance!
The jury is still out on whether breathing a new life into the dormant 620-megawatt Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP) will unfold as a bold step in advancing the country’s energy security goal– or if it would end up as risky revival of the past.
The Philippines’ star-crossed love affair with its first nuclear plant never really reached a ‘satisfying closure’ – that was since BNPP’s shelving by the Aquino administration in the 1980s. That’s $2.0 billion ‘sleeping giant’ that the Filipinos had paid for, but it did not yield a single kilowatt for their benefit because it was technically ‘put to bed’ before commercial commissioning – and it has not been awakened since then.
BNPP mothballing because of politics? Uhm, maybe! Add corruption and lingering skepticism; while some critics are citing ‘earthquake fault line’ close to the plant site as a menacing concern, although geologists and advocates have been debunking that narrative.
And while BNPP was at its forcible and prolonged hibernation, the nuclear facilities in other countries built along parallel timeframes – i.e. Kori facility in South Korea, Krško in Slovenia and Angra plant in Brazil – have viably served as backbone to their economic growths. Neighbors in Asia – primarily Japan, China and India are also thriving as nuclear powerhouses in the ever-evolving diversification of their energy mix.
New study sparks fresh ‘eureka moment’ for BNPP
The country’s kickoff to ‘nuclear renaissance’ traverses rough patches – as the storied life of BNPP isn’t necessarily on the good side of public opinion especially at its host community in Bataan – due to decades of persistent rumors on safety issues, the haunting legacy of abandonment and portended epic cost of repowering – all of these have been casting a shadow over the plant’s future.
In fact, there’s that oft-repeated cycle on BNPP playing out like a broken record across administrations: each new Energy Secretary makes bold proclamations about repowering, promises of new studies, then parade of drama and controversy ensues—only for the political chapter to close without any real progress beyond rhetoric.
A fierce debate is likewise rumbling through power industry circles, both at home and abroad: if it would be more cost-effective to build a brand-new plant rather than resurrect the dormant one? Various estimates peg rehabilitation investment at colossal $2-$3 billion—figures that still drift in limbo, awaiting validation from the new study.
Simply put, we’ve been down that road before— studies that suggested success, only to watch the plant slip back into obscurity. Thus, the billion-dollar question resonates: what’s different this time, or is it just mere déjà vu dressed in fresh promises? Hopefully not!
And if we’d peel the layers, there’s reinvigorated thrill when the Department of Energy announced this October the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a new study on BNPP’s revival that was cemented with the South Korean government – and the FS work (to start January 2025) will be courtesy of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp (KHNP), along with the all-inclusive ensemble of the Korea Team comprising of the Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco), KPS and Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction. To recall, Kepco and KHNP also carried out previous studies (2008 and 2017) on BNPP’s prospective recommissioning – and the conclusion had been: the plant can still be repowered – and the price tag then to overhaul and upgrade it to the standards of a 21st century plant had been $1.0 billion.
But seven years have passed and things already changed a lot in the nuclear power industry – including warranted multi-layered safety redundancies spurred by the Fukushima nuclear tragedy in 2011. Hence, the new guesstimate is that: the tab for BNPP’s operational resuscitation may already substantially swell versus previous calculations.
Alongside BNPP’s resurgence, the Philippines is similarly gearing up for next-generation nuclear installations that are still up for licensing within 2028-2030 timeframes – primarily micro modular reactors and small modular reactors.
Now supposing the KHNP-led study results will render that BNPP could still be brought back to operational state – there are serious reality checks to consider before we even pop the champagne – because pragmatically, that would just be the start of a long and expensive journey (on upfront investment) to our nuclear revival destination.
That will be an initial symbolic victory, yes. But the road ahead is strewn with formidable tasks: crafting comprehensive regulations and policies addressing both safety and commercial issues, forging robust power supply agreements (PSAs) for defensible capacity off-takes; persuading lenders on financing viability for nuclear technology, and crucially, reshaping public perception to embrace a future wherein nuclear energy is not just accepted, but championed as core component of the country’s energy security.
Indeed, only time – and study outcome - will reveal whether the next headline for BNPP’s second chance be: a technical outcast to energy security star! Meantime, the whole nation is watching and waiting with hope for brighter and electrified tomorrow.
Tidbit: These two companies are locked up in legal duel overseas, but will they mend fences to become part of the BNPP rehabilitation project?
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