Moves by lawmakers and Department of Energy to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant are causing environmentalists to rise up against their plans.
In Congress, Reps. Mark Cojuangco (son of San Miguel Corp Boss Danding Cojuangco) and Rep Juan Miguel Arroyo (Son of Philippine President Macapagal-Arroyo) have been pushing for its reopening citing that nuclear power is clean, safe and cheap energy. Last year, Sen. Miriam Santiago introduced a bill in the Senate that calls for the revival of the mothballed nuclear power plant. Cong. Cojuangco meanwhile authored House Bill 4631 which pushes the same thing in congress.
The Bataan Nuclear power plant is not one without controversy. It was commissioned and constructed during the Marcos era, but was tainted with such anomalies that not one watt of power generated from the power plant was ever used to supply power to the grid. One of the charges levied against it was its unsafe design and the over pricing incurred during its construction that was said to have lined the pockets of corrupt government officials at that time. In short, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant at its current state is just a nuclear meltdown waiting to happen. Despite it not ever being used, the government and Filipino people still carried the burden of paying the foreign companies who constructed the power plant.
Environmental activist group, Greenpeace, has gone so far as to accuse the government of using “myths” and “abusing scientific data” to justify their bid to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Some scientists have also questioned KEPCO’s evaluation of the power plant, considering that they are an interested party vying for the right to operate it. Greenpeace has said that the money spent reviving the plant would be best used in setting up renewable energy power plants.
Greenpeace has already pointed out before the following points about Nuclear Energy:
- Nuclear power is highly expensive and a risky investment, repeatedly failing to deliver.
- It’s construction and generating costs are greater than most renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
- It posses multiple threats to people and the environment.
- The risks and environmental damage from its spawned sub industries. Which are the mining, processing and transport of nuclear fuel and nuclear weapons proliferation.
- The potential hazard of a serious accident
- The unsolved problem of nuclear waste
