Spratlys eyed as nuke dump

A lawmaker has proposed to build a storage facility for “spent nuclear fuel” in the disputed Spratly islands.

Rep. Mark Cojuangco of Pangasinan told reporters that Spratly islands is an ideal site for the proposed facility since it is not inhabited. The island group in the South China Sea is being disputed by the Philippines, China, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Cojuangco, author of House Bill 04631 that proposes the immediate re-commissioning and commercial operation of the Bataan nuclear power plant, says nuclear fuel is the future and many countries are building nuclear plants to augment their power supply.

Vietnam ordered six nuclear plants. China will have more nuclear plants than the US in the next 10 years, Cojuangco said. “They’re also looking for a repository. If we enter [into nuclear], we’ll also be looking for one.”

That might even be a mechanism for regional peace, because countries are looking for repositories for their nuclear waste, he said.

Cojuangco also urged the public to support nuclear power to secure the country’s energy situation. He expressed confidence that he could have the House of Representatives pass the bill before Congress goes into a recess next month.

Cojuangco is asking for a $1- billion budget to rehabilitate the Bataan nuclear facility which has been mothballed since 1986 because of unresolved concerns about its safety.

“If the cost is above $1 billion, we will not do it,” Cojuangco said.

He proposed that the $1-billion cost shall be shouldered by the public through the P0.10 per kilowatthour surcharge that shall be collected from all the electricity sold in the country.

Filipinos will be able to enjoy savings of as much as P13.5 billion annually from the sale of lower-priced electricity generated by the nuclear plant, Cojuangco said.

He said the electricity from the Bataan nuclear plant could be sold at around P2.50 per kWh, way below the current rate of the National Power Corp. of P4.50 to P5 per kWh.

Cojuangco said Napocor or any other competent entity will be the one to run Bataan nuclear.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said nuclear power as an option to energy security is one of the government’s long-term thrusts. “Nuclear power has its inherent dangers which the whole world is trying to solve, but there are advantages as well. And among the advantages is that nuclear power is base load and will remain stable for as long as 50 years. It provides steady and cheap power in the long run although it is expensive initially,” Reyes said. –Alena Mae S. Flores, Manila Standard Today