Philippines - discussion of deadlines

AtomInfo.Ru, PUBLISHED 06.04.2022

Two officials of the Department of Energy of the Philippines, who spoke with reporters, are confident that the country is able to start implementing nuclear energy projects in three years, if the next government considers nuclear energy a priority goal.

This is stated in the publication in Philstar.com.

Recall that at the end of February 2022, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No.164 recognizing the role of nuclear energy in the country's energy balance.

It is too late for the current government to do anything in the nuclear direction, since new presidential elections will be held in about a month, in which Duterte does not take part.

Duterte's successor, whoever he or she is, must either continue the course of building a nuclear power plant or abandon it.

"If the next government wants to do this, then at the very best we will be able to start construction in about three years," said Patrick Aquino, director of Energy Utilization Management Bureau of the Department of Energy.

"We need to adopt appropriate legislation and, most importantly, achieve public recognition at the national and local levels of the specific location of the nuclear power plant," he said.

Deputy Energy Minister Gerardo Ergiza calls the three-year preparatory period "feasible, but with difficulty."

In his opinion, it will be possible to start the construction of a nuclear power plant in three years if:

• The next government will maintain the policy of including nuclear energy in the energy balance of the Philippines;

• a choice will be made in favor of small modular reactors, rather than high-power power units;

• the Parliament will adopt all the laws necessary for the nuclear energy program;

• nuclear plans will be recognized by the public and all interested parties.

"The energy plan of the Philippines, our long-term energy program, provides that nuclear power will appear in 2030, but it may happen earlier, in 2027, as it was predicted two or three years ago," says Ergiza.

Executive Order No. 164 of President Duterte requires the interdepartmental committee responsible for the nuclear energy development program to conduct additional studies on the possible use of the mothballed Bataan NPP worth $2.3 billion.

The readiness of the plant was quite high, but its startup did not occur, and in 1986 it was decided to cancel it.

In accordance with the decree, it is also necessary to consider other options for the development of nuclear energy.

Energy Minister Alfonso Cusi is among the supporters of nuclear power plants and considers them "really safe" and capable of helping the Philippines to strengthen energy security.

Topics: Asia, Philippines, Opinions

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