Energy sufficiency seed (1)

Amid the several negotiations for the country to finally use nuclear power, let us be reminded that the Department of Energy has long provided the groundwork or the foundation for the technology,

France, South Korea, and the United States are among the countries keenly interested in a partnership with the Philippine government to start its quest for a nuclear power industry.

The country’s use of nuclear power has been long time coming and is a huge necessity considering the relatively cleaner emission with the new generation power plants including small modular reactors which fits the country’s archipelagic nature.

The Philippines remains a victim of the climate change crisis which President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has pointed out as having been largely instigated by developed nations.

The country’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is at a mere 0.3 percent but it is among the countries that are most vulnerable to changing weather patterns.

The potential of safely integrating nuclear energy into the country’s energy mix was the ambition of former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. It was during his watch that the DoE issued Department Order 2016-10-0013 in October 2016, which created the Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization or NEPIO.

In April 2018, the DoE submitted its recommendation for a Nuclear Power Program that the Office of the President subsequently approved.

Two years later, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 116 in July 2020, forming the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee tasked to study the adoption of a policy in accordance with the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as all relevant laws, rules, and regulations.

In February 2022, Duterte signed EO 164, which laid down the necessary foundations for the Philippines to establish a nuclear energy program.

Under the EO, the country shall ensure the stable use of nuclear technology anchored on critical tenets of public safety, national security, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability.

The ways forward included the establishment of the legal and regulatory framework on nuclear energy that implies the passage of comprehensive nuclear legislation that will establish an independent regulatory body consistent with international standards.

Aside from nuclear, the DoE has also been keen on assessing the potential use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source given its diverse range of energy applications.

The agency then issued a Special Order creating the Hydrogen and Fusion Energy Committee and entered partnerships with Australian and Japanese companies to explore the use of hydrogen in the country.

Attaining energy security is a priority under the DoE leadership. And with the global pivot towards the energy transition, it was recognized that energy goals must be realized sustainably.

Appropriate policy adjustments were made. As a developing nation that continues to suffer considerable socio-economic losses from the devastating effects of climate disasters, DoE took a stand in maintaining a strong balance between the new and the old since the country is currently in no position to favor one over the other.

“We tried to do as much as we could in the limited time we had. However, the reality is that, more often than not, the government’s hands are tied due to the deregulated nature of the energy industry. Almost everything is in the hands of the private sector, and this poses impenetrable barriers, especially when it comes to promoting public transparency,” Cusi said.

“In April 2018, the DoE submitted its recommendation for a Nuclear Power Program which the Office of the President subsequently approved.

“The Philippines remains a victim of the climate crisis which President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos has pointed out as having been largely instigated by developed nations.