The country needs a legal framework to develop nuclear technology as an “alternative energy source,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said.
“There is a wide range of issues that we need to explore and thresh out before we can accurately measure the true potential of nuclear technology as an alternative energy source in the Philippines,” he said.
The Department of Energy at present is studying the possibility of adding nuclear power to the country’s energy mix.
Gatchalian said should the country decide to pursue nuclear technology, the enabling legislation must tackle issues such as the structure and powers of the regulatory body; licensing, inspection, and enforcement; radiation protection; safety of nuclear facilities; and emergency preparedness and response, among others.
The country’s only existing nuclear energy body is the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology, but its functions center around radiation and nuclear research and development.
“All of the gaps in our nuclear energy legal framework would first need to be addressed by passing comprehensive legislation,” Gatchalian said.
The senator said the Philippines has yet to ratify three key international nuclear conventions, namely the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, and the amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.
“A strong national framework on nuclear power must be compliant with international standards on safety, security, safeguards, and liability,” he said.
