New nuclear power plant construction may take 8 years; Bataan revival 4 years

Establishing a new nuclear power plant in the Philippines may take up to eight years, thus the need to start working on it as soon as possible, said House Committee on Nuclear Energy chairperson Mark Cojuangco on Thursday. The Pangasinan 2nd District Representative also said that the dormant Bataan Nuclear Power Plant could take four years to revive. “Actually, yung existing planta, apat na taon. Pero kung maguumpisa tayo ng bago, aabutin ng walong taon ‘yan ang bawat isang gagawin natin,” he said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB. (Translation: "Actually, the existing plant may take four years. But if we start a new one, it will take eight years for each one that we build.") However, the lawmaker noted that one or two nuclear power plants would not be enough for the Philippines' needs. “Hindi naman magkukuha ng isa o dalawang nuclear plant ang kailangan sa Pilipinas, ang minimum sa aking pananaw ay labing anim hanggang 32. Dapat mag-umpisa na tayo ngayon, kailan pa tayo maguumpisa?” said Cojuangco. (Translation: "One or two nuclear plants won't be enough for what the Philippines needs; in my view, the minimum is 16 to 32. We should start now, when else are we going to start?") In his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the administration is working to revisit nuclear energy, as it is already being used in medicine, agriculture, water filtration, and the upcycling of plastic. However, the Department of Energy (DOE) previously stated that the country’s first working nuclear power plant may take a decade to materialize. For his part, Cojuangco said that up to US$1.5 billion would be needed to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. “Ang Bataan kasi gawa na po ‘yan, sa tantsya ko, dapat wag lumampas ng around US $1.5 billion. Mayroon po akong proposal sa gobyerno, ang Bataan ang planta, ang nuclear village sa Bagac, ang power line papuntang Metro Manila, ang pump storage facility ay sa Caliraya. Sa aking palagay, may halagang $2 billion,” he said. (Translation: "Because Bataan is already built, in my estimation, it shouldn't exceed around US$1.5 billion. I have a proposal for the government: Bataan for the plant, the nuclear village in Bagac, the power line going to Metro Manila, and the pump storage facility in Caliraya. In my opinion, it amounts to $2 billion.") The lawmaker added that if reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant won’t be feasible, there are other possible sites that can be considered. “Pero kung may problema ang Bataan dahil sa local politics, humanap tayo ng ibang lugar, maybe Pangasinan, maybe Isabela, Mindoro, Masbate, etc.,” said Cojuangco. (Translation: "But if Bataan has a problem because of local politics, let's look for another place, maybe Pangasinan, maybe Isabela, Mindoro, Masbate, etc.") The Philippines is exploring nuclear energy to ensure a stable power supply and support economic growth. However, concerns regarding safety, construction and maintenance costs, and waste disposal remain significant challenges, especially in light of past incidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima.