Philippines considers reviving Marcos-era nuclear plant
Government joining more than two dozen other countries looking to add nuclear power to their energy mix
The Philippines is looking into operating the country’s only nuclear power plant, built four decades ago at more than $2 billion (Dh7.34 billion) but never used, to ensure the long-term supply of clean and cheap electricity, its energy minister said.
The Southeast Asian country is joining more than two dozen other countries looking to add nuclear power to their energy mix, including neighbours Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said yesterday reviving the mothballed 620-megawatt nuclear plant in Bataan province, northwest of Manila, will require a $1 billion investment.
Nuclear generation is one of the options for the Philippines to meet its growing power needs, with annual electricity demand expected to rise by an average 5 per cent until 2030, he said.
“We have to weigh all our options, with emphasis not just on meeting capacity requirements, but sustainability and environmental obligations as well,” Cusi said at the opening of an international conference on nuclear power in Manila.
Cusi will revive a government task force created in 2007 to study nuclear power as an alternative to imported fuel oil and coal, which provide more than half of the energy mix.
He said experts, including those from the International Atomic Energy Agency, have been invited to help identify the next steps and come up with a “well-informed” decision.
Cusi is not committing any timetable for the study, but he expects the move to reignite protests against the project, especially by environmentalists.