DOE to see feasibility of using nuclear energy

The government will conduct a feasibility study on the safety standards on nuclear power next year as it weighs whether or not to push through with the controversial technology.

Jose Rene Almendras, Department of Energy (DOE) secretary, said that the department has allocated P100 million for studies on nuclear power development.

“We will get it from our own budget. It is part of the budget that we submitted to Congress,” he said.

The Energy department has been laying the groundwork for studies on the potential of nuclear power to secure the country’s long-term power requirements.

Compared with other conventional power plants, nuclear power facilities produce cheap electricity and a secure supply at that because of the longer time it takes to deplete its fuel.

But because of opposition from various environmental and cause-oriented groups, government has not put up a firm stand on whether or not to develop nuclear power.

The Energy chief said that the study to be conducted on nuclear power is part of the country’s commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to come up with common safety standards.

“The DOE will be taking the lead [on the conduct of the study]. But we will be working with all government agencies and Asean counterparts,” he said.

Based on the Asean ministerial agreement, the regional block come up with terms of reference on nuclear energy safety standards within the next 18 months to 24 months.

Despite the commitment, Almendras said that this does not mean that the government has given nuclear power the green light, especially with new technologies coming out.

“Nuclear is shifting to smaller more package-sized facility. You’re really looking at 10 years down the line. It’s going to take a while, we’re not saying we’re going to go there, we’re saying we need to understand the new technology,” he said. –Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Manila Times