Bataan lawmakers back BNPP rehabilitation

BALANGA CITY – Two Bataan representatives have expressed support for the $1 billion rehabilitation of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Plant Project (BNPP) in the coastal village of Morong town if the Korean firm undertaking an exhaustive feasibility study finds it safe to the residents and non-hazardous to the environment.

Reps. Albert Garcia and Herminia Roman accompanied yesterday a 10-man member of the House Committee on Energy led by its chair Rep. Mikey Macapagal Arroyo on their ocular inspections of the nuke plant compound and a dialogue with opposition groups in the locality.

Garcia said the safety of his constituents is his outmost concern and the protection of the people is above contention.” I will wait for the outcome of the technical study before making any decision on this matter,” Garcia said. However, Garcia hinted he prefers that the government open the bidding on the rehabilitation of nuke plant to avoid conflict of interest.

The House Committee on Energy fact finding mission has opened a dialogue after a short trip to the plant reactor facility by the legislators with the opposition to present their views and opinions against the proposed “refiring of the mothballed power plant until we get the assurance that the project is safe to all living things in this planet,” Arroyo told media in a press conference.

Arroyo said the committee is ready to recommend the appropriation of $1 billion if the results of the expected year-long evaluation and assessment of the Korean technical power team that BNPP would provide cheaper and more abundant energy, more healthful and non-earth damaging to the environment.

A technical team from Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) is looking for the possibility of reopening the controversial 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Plant facility which had not produced a single kilowatt since 1986.

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) and (Kepco) signed a memorandum of understanding for the conduct of a feasibility study on the potential operation of the power plant at no cost to the government.–Raffy Viray, Philippine Star