Aquino: Nuke energy studied for Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Aquino said the government will study the possibility of using nuclear energy to solve Mindanao’s power problem even if it is a “hot bottle issue.”

Mindanao exporters have been urging the government to explore the possibility of tapping nuclear power to mitigate the effects of climate change on Mindanao’s power supply.

Earlier this year, Mindanao experienced up to 12 hours of power outages daily due to the drying up of its hydropower sources as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Mindanao draws more than 50 percent of its power from hydro sources such as Lake Lanao and the Pulangui River.

Vicente Lao, chair of the Mindanao Business Council, said nuclear energy might just be the answer to the Mindanao power problem, which has hindered its economy in the past.

“Nuclear power is a hot-bottle issue. There are elements in society who are up in arms when they hear about it but the government will study the proposal,” Aquino told businessmen during a forum at the Marco Polo Hotel here Thursday.

The President acknowledged that the recent power outages highlighted the power supply problem in Mindanao.

“There’s too much dependence on hydro power,” he said.

But Aquino said there are also other sources that can be developed such as wind-driven power generators, which could be put up in Camiguin or Davao del Sur.

He said solar energy could also be tapped for Davao Oriental.

He vowed that more power plants will be built in the coming months.
He said he hoped the recent power crisis in Mindanao “will be nothing more than a bad memory.” –Germelina Lacorte, Orlando Dinoy with reports from Dennis Jay Santos and Judy Quiros, Inquirer Mindanao