Nuke levels up
What may be the most significant energy security policy of the country was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last 3 March that included nuclear power among the recognized sources of fuel, making official the revival of a program for the use of technology for it.
When the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) was mothballed after the 1986 revolt, the Philippines was left without an energy program since the late President Cory Aquino abolished the Department of Energy (DoE) due to partisan reasons.
Thus, it took nearly four decades before the Philippines regained its footing on the use of nuclear energy and there are still minions in the Senate of big business and the obstructive political party hindering nuclear technology advances.
With the leap in technology on nuclear power plants, the use of the fuel is now among the safest and is considered part of the requirements for swift progress during the post-pandemic period.
President Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 164 following the recommendation of the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC), which conducted a pre-feasibility study and public consultation on the use of nuclear technology.
The findings of the committee were that the use of nuclear power is a reliable, cost-competitive, and environment-friendly source of energy based on the experience of highly developed countries.
“A reliable, secure, sustainable, quality and affordable electricity supply, including sufficient reserve to guarantee that there will be no disruptions in the power supply” must be ensured, the policy read.
It added the use of nuclear energy will address the increasing demand for clean energy, rising by 4.4 percent annually, or an additional capacity of 68 gigawatts by 2040.
Department of Energy (DoE) Undersecretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr. said nuclear power is cheaper and cleaner than other sources of power and will help the country achieve energy security.
Erguiza, chairperson of the DoE Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO), said the EO will ensure that the nuclear policy will “withstand the change in administration.”
The government will likely embark first on the use of SMR that is quick to set up while government, likely in the next administration, figures out the policy towards BNPP.
Energy Secretary Al Cusi said he had to postpone his meeting in the United States over the SMR technology to attend to problems of rising energy costs stemming from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“I need to attend to it but the memorandum of understanding with Russia (on the development of nuclear technology) is still in effect,” according to Cusi. He added that with EO 164, the country is taking a big step to realize a nuclear policy “hopefully by the next administration.”
From the start of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Cusi had advocated the diversification of energy sources including nuclear power. The recent EO was the realization of the Duterte administration’s vision.
“With the leap in technology on nuclear power plants, the use of the fuel is now among the safest and is considered part of the requirements for swift progress during the post pandemic period.
“The use of nuclear energy will address the increasing demand for clean energy, rising by 4.4 percent annually, or an additional capacity of 68 gigawatts by 2040.