Part IV of Dr. Kelvin S. Rodolfo’s article on the Geological Hazards to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was released last week.
The article talks about how Cong. Mark Conjuangco’s bill to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) failed to take into account the geological hazards present in the site that are threatening the operation of the plant.
Calls to fund a study of the hazards of the plant could be avoided by releasing from the Senate’s vaults a comprehensive study made by over 50 foreign nuclear experts on the safety status of the BNPP. The study was made between 1988 to 1990 and cost the Philippine tax payers about $10 Million. However, due to pending litigation between Westinghouse (the company that constructed the plant) and the Philippine government it was not made public.
Aside from the safety concerns, he also points out in the final parts of the article while Nuclear Power would not be good for the Philippines. These are:
- Uranium for nuclear fuel is not found in the country. Leaving us at the mercy of the countries who sell it. Similar to how oil exporting countries control the price and production of oil.
- There is fallacy to the belief that nuclear power generation is carbon neutral, because a lot of CO2 is expended in mining, milling and processing the nuclear fuel before it can be used by a nuclear reactor.
- Lastly, the cost to revive the plant would just be an added burden to the already beleaguered Filipino tax payer.
Part’s of the series can be found here: Part I, Part II, Part III.
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Category: Nuclear
