SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday opposed the plan to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the absence of a clear and well-researched national nuclear policy.
Gatchalian, head of the Senate committee on energy, urged the Energy department to first commission a feasibility study on the prospects of using nuclear power in the Philippines before going ahead with the construction or refurbishment of any nuclear plant, including the Bataan plant.
“We cannot jump into nuclear energy on a piecemeal basis,” Gatchalian said.
“This feasibility study on nuclear power will be critical to objectively assessing the merits of adding nuclear power to our energy mix.
“We need to do our homework first before pulling the trigger on the BNPP or any other nuclear project.”
Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said scientists, not bureaucrats, must approve the rehabilitation of the Bataan power plant.
“It should be a science-based decision, and not because someone has a light bulb moment and then immediately orders that the plant be switched on,” Recto said.
“If restarting the plant would require another P50 billion, then it is but proper that all financial transactions related to the project must be placed under the glare of a powerful spotlight.”
Gatchalian said any feasibility study should be done by independent international experts in geology, nuclear physics, engineering and other key fields to assess the prospects of nuclear power in the Philippines, with environmental and community safety as the main concern.
In the absence of compelling positive findings from the BNPP study, Gatchalian said, it would be more prudent to invest the $1 billion required to refurbish the plant in the exploration and development of untapped indigenous energy sources.
“One billion dollars is a lot of money,” Gatchalian said.
“We have to make sure that we are investing this substantial sum in cost-efficient energy ventures which are guaranteed to make significant contributions to the long-term stability of our energy supply.”