US nuclear engineering firm offers to rehabilitate BNPP

MANILA, Philippines – A US-based engineering company is convincing the Philippine government to reconsider its planned scrapping of the rehabilitation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras told reporters that American firm, Excel, has expressed interest to rehabilitate BNPP.

“There was one company offering, the name is Excel.They’re a nuclear power plant engineering company. They gave me a proposal how to rehabilitate BNPP,” he said.

The Excel representatives, he said, were convincing President Aquino that there are now new technologies that would allow the country to revive BNPP.

But Almendras said they have informed the US company that the Aquino administration has yet to make its nuclear policy.

“We’re not ready because we’re still determining our stand on nuclear and we still have to do our study on safety standards,” he said.

Just recently Japanese company, Toshiba Corp., said it would be willing to supply nuclear reactor to the Philippines.

Toshiba is among the biggest suppliers of nuclear reactors in Japan.

Earlier, two Japan-based companies Kansai Electric Power Corp. and Tokyo Electric Power Corp. have already signified interest to help the Philippine government should it decide to push through with its plan to put up a nuclear facility or revive the BNPP.

Meanwhile, Kansai and Tepco are apparently willing to provide technical assistance.

Earlier estimates also showed that nuclear power cost will be huge and government will need a lead time to look for financing.

Based on initial estimates, it would need about $1 billion for the rehabilitation of BNPP while a 620-MW newly-built nuclear plant will cost around $1.24 billion (at a cost of $2 million per MW).

The National Government had earlier identified more than 10 potential sites for the country’s first nuclear power plant.

These sites are located in Bataan, Batangas, Quezon, Negro Occidental, Palawan, Cagayan, Cavite, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte and Sarangani.

Specifically, the candidate sites for the first nuclear power plant in Luzon will be in Mapalan Point in Morong, Bataan; San Juan, Batangas, Padre Burgos, Quezon; Port Irene/Matara Point and Rakat HIll in Cagayan.

For Visayas, the possible sites to host the first nuclear facility in the country are Tagbarungis, Inagauwan in Southwest of Puerto Prinsesa and Concecion, Tanabag in Northeast Puerto Princesa; Cansilan Point, Bayawan in Negros Oriental; Baluangan, Cawayan, Negros Oriental.

In Mindanao, the government has identfied Piacan Point in Siocon Zamboanga del Norte; Cauit Point in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte and General Santos, Sarangani. –Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star)