PH nuclear plan up for President’s approval

By Jordeene B. Lagare – December 23, 2020
from The Manila Times

THE proposal to include nuclear energy as one of the country’s energy sources is now awaiting the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte, according to a government official.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the Department of Energy (DoE) has already submitted the nuclear power plan to the President last Friday.

The submission is a requirement stated in Executive Order (EO) 116, signed by Duterte in July, which mandates a government study to determine and develop the national position for a nuclear power program in the country.

For this purpose, the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) was created.

The NEP-IAC shall also formulate a national strategy to include a timeline in the preparation of a NEP, as well as measures to address infrastructure issues and make appropriate recommendations.

It will also review the existing legal framework, study the viability of nuclear energy, and recommend the necessary steps in the utilization of nuclear energy, as well as existing facilities such as the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

“The government shall conduct a study for the adoption of a National Position on the Nuclear Energy Program in accordance with the pertinent IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) guidelines and relevant laws, rules, and regulations,” said Duterte said in his directive.

Duterte stated in the EO that the state adhered to international standards on the safety, security and safeguards on peaceful development of nuclear energy.

Furthermore, the country has to satisfy the infrastructure requirements prescribed by the International Atomic Energy Agency for the development of a national infrastructure for nuclear power.

Cusi is hoping the government will decide “favorably” in the nuclear energy program crafted by the agency.

“We hope that it will be included in our energy mix. We submitted it, we did the work and, of course, we have a positive expectation,” he said.