Duterte wants nuclear power to replace coal plants

By Myrna M. Velasco – March 3, 2022, 3:16 PM
from Manila Bulletin

Newly-issued Executive Order 164 of President Rodrigo Duterte has stipulated that the country’s need for baseload electricity supply shall be plugged by nuclear power facilities, which will serve as replacement to the targeted eventual phaseout of coal-fired electric generating assets.

“Nuclear power shall be tapped as a viable alternative baseload power source along with alternative energy resources, to address the projected decline of coal-fired power plants which come under increasing environmental opposition,” the Malacanang EO has emphasized.

Baseload power is a technology in electricity generation that can be depended upon for round-the-clock power supply; and these are often of massive scale megawatt-installations.

EO 164 touted that based on the experience of other developed and emerging countries, nuclear power has been serving as efficient and reliable source of electricity supply that underpinned their economic growths.

The Palace directive fundamentally calls for the crafting of the country’s “Nuclear Energy Program” that will eventually pave the way for the integration of nuclear power in the country’s power mix.

To recall, the Department of Energy (DOE) decreed ‘coal moratorium’ since last year; and that was the policy enforcement which signaled the slowdown; if not total phaseout of coal plant installations in the Philippines in the years to come.

“The State envisions nuclear power as a viable component to bridge the gap between rising energy demands and supply, taking into account learnings from the past, national, social and economic development pathways, as well as international legal and regulatory frameworks,” the EO stated.

It similarly pointed out nuclear technology “could help minimize the possible trade-offs between emissions and the environment,” emphasizing that “life cycle emissions from nuclear power chains are comparable with the best renewable energy chains and several orders of magnitude lower than fossil fuel chains.”

The EO added “nuclear power can contribute effectively to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and has strong potential to decarbonize the power sector.”

In a briefing with reporters, Energy Undersecretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr. noted that the Presidential EO sets the tone for the crafting of policy as well as regulatory frameworks that will eventually govern nuclear power developments in the country.

With a policy in place, as sanctioned by the EO, he indicated that even in the new administration, the next batch of DOE officials can already lean on a fiat that will allow them to integrate nuclear power in their energy planning.

“Unlike in the past when they adopted nuclear, there is no clear policy that was studied in whole of government approach; so with the change in administration, it’s also lost,” Erguiza stressed.

Given the forthcoming change of government leadership by July this year, he said “they don’t have to put up a policy anymore…it will take 5-6 years to put up policy, because when you start a nuclear program and you still have to come up with policy, then you have a very, very big problem.”

He asserted “adopting a nuclear program is not just about constructing nuclear power plants. It is a matter of energy and national security. Should it be decided in the future that the Philippines is fit and finally ready to embark on its nuclear energy journey, then we would be able to look back and appreciate this landmark issuance.”