Malacanang’s okay on ‘nuclear power study’ sought

By Myrna M. Velasco – January 2, 2021, 7:00 AM
from Manila Bulletin

An affirmative decision from the Office of the President is being sought officially by the Department of Energy (DOE), relative to the outcome of a “nuclear power study” that it recently submitted to Malacanang.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi told reporters that the study was formally lodged with the Office of the President last December 18.

The study was a follow-through to Executive Order 116 that was issued by President Rodrigo Duterte in July, a policy formally mandating the conduct of a study that will re-align nuclear as an option in the country’s energy mix.

“We submitted it, we did the work. We have positive expectations,” the energy chief said, indicating that they are aiming that it will be green-lighted by Malacanang.

Cusi added “ we hope that it will be included – the decision is for it to be included in our energy mix – that it will be favorably decided. Hopefully, I’m praying.”

The Philippines is targeting deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) as early as 2027 in various parts of the country, as a renewed kick-off point for the country’s nuclear power ambitions.

In Cusi’s view, the nuclear power pathway is aligned with the ‘decarbonization’ strategy as well as on the energy security goals of the country.

He similarly asserted that based on a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey consigned by the government, “public perception has changed since the BNPP was demonized decades ago.”

Cusi said “people are now open to learn more about nuclear energy. After all, those arguments that have been said against the nuclear power plant had been answered by time.”

He qualified that if the BNPP had been operated when it was ready to go on commercial stream several decades back; “the Philippine economy would have been different had we tapped nuclear power in the 1970s.”

Based on the DOE study, it emphasized that SMR rollout could be feasible by year 2027 – primarily for targeted areas in Palawan, Cagayan Valley and Sulu.
“Our Philippine Energy Plan already projects the inclusion of nuclear power in our energy mix by 2027. With the evolution of small modular reactors that are suitable for the off-grid or island areas of the Philippines, the possibility of establishing a modular power plant in the country might come sooner,” Cusi pointed out.

Nevertheless, he reckoned that actual investments and technology deployments will also “depend on the passage of necessary legislative policies on nuclear power, which are among the bills that have been certified as urgent, and must be passed by the present Congress.