Kepco proposes nuke plant revival

Korea Electric Power Corp. has recommended the rehabilitation and revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant following the completion of its feasibility study, a ranking official of National Power Corp. said yesterday.

Napocor president Froilan Tampinco told reporters that Kepco submitted the results of its feasibility study.

Kepco and Napocor signed an agreement late last year covering the exchange of data and activities related to determine the feasibility of the possible rehabilitation of Bataan Nuclear.

“The bottom line recommendation is saying that it is possible to rehabilitate the plant but my key question to them is, what would be the cost? They did not give us the cost,” Tampinco said.

Tampinco said he asked Kepco to submit the costing for the rehabilitation program and the implementation period. He said the final report, which will be submitted to the board for approval, should be completed by January.

“There was an agreement that after the presentation of the report that there would be a tasking between Kepco and Napocor to agree on the cost estimate and period of implementation. I gave them up to January to come up with a recommendation so that I can present to the board,” he said.

He said the Napocor board would not pursue the revival of the nuclear power plant if the cost would be higher than building a new nuclear plant.

“We might as well buy a new one,” Tampinco said.

He said Napocor would operate the nuclear plant once the pending law on nuclear power development was passed.

Napocor said earlier that the Philippines needed around $1 billion to rehabilitate and operate the nuclear plant.

Napocor senior vice president and vice chairman of the special group on nuclear energy Pio Benavidez told reporters the rehabilitation of the Bataan plant would reach about $800 million.

“It is estimated that we could spend around $800 million maximum for the operation of the BNPP. But we may need $1 billion including the transmission line. We need to build new transmission line since the old ones are already dismantled,” Buenavidez told reporters.

The government mothballed the nuclear plant in 1986 for safety concerns. –Alena Mae S. Flores, Manila Standard Today