Nuclear power in the Philippines

Nuclear power became an option as solution to the 1973 oil crisis, in which the Philippines was affected. The country first completed its first reactor, The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. However due to safety concerns and financial difficulties. The reactor never became operational. Recently the government and some private companies are considering to introduce nuclear energy to the country by rehabilitating the power plant in Bataan or building another reactor.^[1]

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

Main article: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

Under a regime of martial law, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in July 1973 announced the decision to build a nuclear power plant. This was in response to the 1973 oil crisis, as the Middle East oil embargo had put a heavy strain on the Philippine economy, and Marcos believed nuclear power to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and decreasing dependence on imported oil.^[2]

Construction on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant began in 1976. Following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States, construction on the BNPP was stopped, and a subsequent safety inquiry into the plant revealed over 4,000 defects. Among the issues raised was that it was built near major earthquake fault lines and close to the then dormant Pinatubo volcano.

Recent Developments

The government was considered to convert the plant into a natural gas-fired power plant but has not done so because this was considered infeasible.In April 2007, the expenditures of building the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was fully paid for. The government still pay a maintenance expense which cost $800,000 annually. Since then the plant's future remains uncertain , to rehabilitate the plant or to build another reactor to serve its purpose. Nuclear energy is a serious option to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil and coal. In 2008 an IAEA mission commissioned by the government concluded that the plant is operable and safe up to 30 years of time. The Refurbishment of the BNNP was estimated to cost from 800 million to 1 billion dollars, which includes upgrade of safety and instruments & control systems. Policy framework was also recommended concerning the nuclear power development in the country. Several private companies also expressed interest to introduce nuclear energy to the country including Toshiba.

References

1. ^ http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf102.html
2. ^ [1] ABS-CBN Interactive