Recto open to reassess revival of Bataan nuclear power plant in PH
Source：https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/9/recto-open-to-reassess-revival-of-bataan-nuclear-power-plant
From：Taiwan Trade Center, Manila
Update Time：2024/04/25
The Department of Finance (DOF) is open to consider the proposal to reevaluate the possibility of reactivating the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). In an effort to address the high electricity costs in the country, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said the planned third-party feasibility study for the revival of the 620-megawatt BNPP is a logical approach that merits attention.
“It makes sense to do a reassessment regarding technical and economic viability of Bataan nuclear power plant,” Recto told Manila Bulletin on Saturday, March 9. “After all, nuclear power may reduce electricity cost for consumers and may make the Philippines more competitive in attracting investments in manufacturing and thereby create more quality jobs for our people," he added.
Recto's statement came in response to Energy Undersecretary Sharon S. Garin, who said that the Department of Energy-led Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEPIAC) is currently awaiting the DOF's approval on a potential rehabilitation deal for the Bataan nuclear facility. Garin said that Malacañang, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, has endorsed the planned signing of a memorandum of agreement with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). This agreement is crucial for conducting a validation study that will support efforts to revive the BNPP and bring it back to operational status.
Recto, who assumed the position of DOF chief last Jan. 15, however, said that he has yet to review any documentation regarding the proposed plan for the BNPP. “I have not seen any document on the matter,” the finance chief stated. “I will check on Monday, but I assure you we act swiftly at the DOF.”
The BNPP, a $2.3-billion project built by Westinghouse Electric of the United States in the mid-1970s under the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., never entered operation. Originally slated to open after the EDSA People Power Revolution, the plant was abandoned in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in northern Ukraine. The catastrophic Chernobyl incident, deemed the worst nuclear disaster in history, sparked vigorous opposition to nuclear power plants in the Philippines.
Source: https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/9/recto-open-to-reassess-revival-of-bataan-nuclear-power-plant