The Bataan nuclear power plant, the primary in Southeast Asia, was inbuilt 1986. It has never produced a single kilowatt of electricity, but there’s now a growing movement to reopen the plant. One of the explanations is high energy costs and the necessity to cut back greenhouse gas emissions.
Reopening the controversy
The Philippines faces the best electricity tariffs in Asia, partly as a consequence of rising prices of imported coal. Carlo A. Arcilla, director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, suggested nuclear power as a reliable alternative to the country’s growing energy needs, that are expected to double in the subsequent 20 years. However, energy finance analyst Sara Jane Ahmed, who’s an advisor to Vulnerable Twenty Group, argues that nuclear power plants aren’t flexible enough to fulfill fluctuations in energy demand and are costly to operate safely within the Philippines because they’re situated in a seismically lively zone.
Arcilla, then again, supports renewable energy but says it is just not enough by itself. Despite the advantages, ensuring the security of nuclear power plants within the Philippines, situated in a seismic zone often called the Ring of Fire, is dear. Switching nuclear power plants could damage the facility grid, causing power outages, said Bert Dalusung, an analyst on the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities. Instead of counting on a couple of large power plants, Dalusung suggests constructing a distributed energy infrastructure using solar, wind and geothermal resources.
The Bataan power plant was closed after the Chernobyl disaster, which coincided with the overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who commissioned the plant. His son, President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., now wants to finish the work his father began. Some experts are skeptical about the potential of restarting the plant. Added to that is the undeniable fact that the reactor has never been used and the technology is already outdated. The plant’s only reactor can only produce as much as 620 megawatts of power, about half the facility of contemporary counterparts.
A dream that returns to the fight
Congressman Mark Cojuangco, a number one supporter of restarting the plant, insists it might be renovated and the development quality is world-class. He points out that South Korean nuclear operator KEPCO has offered to renovate the plant for about $1.5 billion. However, critics remain unconvinced, citing the plant’s outdated control system, which resembles a museum.
However, this optimism is just not without reason. Bataan is just not the one first nuclear power plant to return online. In Tennessee, work on the Watts Bar Two plant began in 1973, before construction of the Bataan plant. It later resumed operations in 2016 after a 43-year hiatus. However, restarting the Bataan plant will likely be an undertaking that may require extensive work on control systems and other equipment, in addition to updates to the reactor software. It would also require the involvement of international nuclear experts to make sure that the plant meets modern safety standards. Despite these challenges, President Marcos Jr. is optimistic in regards to the project. The growing movement to restart the plant, backed by the undeniable fact that the plant was built to resist natural disasters comparable to earthquakes and typhoons, makes it all of the more popular.
The statement was made by Mr. Cojuangco, who personally visited Fukushima and investigated the disaster there. He emphasized that previously he had no evidence to support the claim that the facility plant could withstand a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, but now it could. The Bataan plant is situated 18 meters above sea level, so even when a tsunami as large as Fukushima hits it, it’s going to not be affected. According to Mr. Cojuangco, if the Bataan plant had been situated in Fukushima, there would have been no disaster. His first-hand experience at Fukushima allows him to conclude that the Bataan plant is protected from an identical disaster.
If the Bataan plant is brought back online, it could play a key role in meeting the Philippines’ growing energy needs. Electricity within the countryside is important, but often expensive and dirty. Nuclear power, meanwhile, is a clean and comparatively low-cost energy source that may also help drive economic growth and reduce the country’s carbon footprint. The idea of restarting the Bataan plant is just not without controversy, nevertheless, and there are concerns in regards to the safety and environmental risks related to nuclear power. Nevertheless, as energy costs rise and climate change continues to threaten the planet, nuclear power is prone to remain a subject of debate and discussion for years to return.
