Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is now just an empty building –Marcos

By Mario Casayuran – October 6, 2020, 9:44 PM
from Manila Bulletin

The expensive reactor and processor and other materials inside of what was once a majestic $2.3-billion Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in Morong, Bataan had been sold by past administrations.

Senator Imee R. Marcos revealed this Tuesday in a radio interview on the fate of the power plant that was built by her late father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos, in the mid-80s.

Marcos, chairwoman of the Senate economic affairs committee, said the building seems to have been built recently but the equipment are no longer there. ‘’Wala na tayong mapapala dun,’’ she added. (We won’t get anything there.)

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate energy committee, said he is thankful that President Duterte has affirmed the need to consult Bataan residents on the issue whether the nuclear power plant should be operated or not.

The BNPP is ‘’not a simple power plant’’ and it takes expertise to operate it as it not a simple technology and the government needs to hire a pool of talented people to operate it,” Gatchalian said.

Construction of the 621-megawatt BNPP started in 1976. It was completed in 1984 but was mothballed following the Chernobyl disaster.

Asked why the President wanted a public dialogue on whether the BNPP should be operated at all, Marcos said it is possible that the Chinese and Russians wanted to invest in the country’s energy requirements.

Marcos said other sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar should be explored.

Although nuclear power is ‘’very seductive,’’  Marcos she is not sold on the idea because of her fears that Filipinos ‘’kung minsan burara tayo sa maintenance at pag hindi natin naayos, peligroso pala.’’ (We are not known for our maintenance proficiency and if this is not in order, it is very risky.)

Marcos revealed that she had a talk with Bataan Governor Abet Garcia on what to do with the BNPP.

‘’Ang sabi nga nya gagawin na lang nyang Cloud computing o kung ano pa para sa Google, cybersecurity dahil ang ganda pa ng building kaso nga lang wala nang laman,’’ she said. (He said it could be used for Cloud computing or could be used by Google, cyber security because it is a beautiful building but it is an empty shell.)

Marcos said the Russians were reported to have done a ‘’look see’’ at the facility and if it should be operated at all, the government should start from scratch.