Bataan Nuclear Powerplant : Cataclysm of its Revival (Part 1)

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I love writing, but not good at it. So please bear with me ^^

4 years ago

(photos are not mine. This was a reaction paper)

INTRODUCTION

The province of Bataan is historically known as being one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by the Japanese forces during World War II. It’s also where you can find the Philippines’ only attempt at building a nuclear power plant, which sits on a 389-hectare government reservation at Napot Point in the coastal town of Morong.

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant, completed but never fueled, on Bataan Peninsula, 100 kilometers (62 mi) west of Manila in the Philippines. It was mothballed due to safety concerns in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in the former Soviet Ukraine and issues regarding corruption.

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is an interesting case study of nuclear energy. Completed back in 1980s and costing $2.2 billion, the BNPP currently stands in Morong, Bataan, atop Napot Point that overlooks the West Philippine Sea. However, it never achieved its goal of generating 623 MW of electricity. The BNPP is currently the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines and more interestingly, was still the only nuclear plant in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as of 2014.

Nuclear energy first came to the forefront of Philippine politics back in the 1950s when the U.S. gave the Philippines a nuclear fission reactor. The government then formally established a nuclear program in 1958 under the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The BNPP was then proposed in the 1960s and approved under the Marcos regime (1965 - 1986) in July of 1973. The final contract was given to Westinghouse Electric. The project was completed in 1984.

Under a regime of martial law, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in July 1973 announced the decision to build a nuclear power plant. A presidential committee was set up to secure funding for two 620 megawatt nuclear reactors for the energy needs of Luzon. This was in response to the 1973 oil crisis, as the Middle East oil embargo had put a heavy strain on the Philippine economy, and Marcos believed nuclear power to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and decreasing dependence on imported oil. In 2012, the Sandiganbayan graft court ordered entrepreneur and Marcos associate Herminio Disini to repay the Philippine government the amount of $50 million for his role in defrauding the country through the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Currently, there are talks about the Philippines reviving the BNPP. This is mainly because of Philippine energy needs. The talks about reopening the BNPP are being debated in the Senate, and there are voices on both sides of the issue. Proponents for reinstating the plant say that the energy source is cheap and that after the initial investment to upgraded the plant and it can help with the issue of the supply of electricity. However, opponents staunchly disagree saying that the revival of the plant is too expensive even to consider and that the money would be better spent on other electricity generation projects. Nevertheless, scientists are also still considering the plant's siting issues. There is still uncertainty about the eruption history of Mt. Natib, a volcano only a few miles away from the said powerplant.

This paper will talk about the issues of the only nuclear powerplant in the Philippines, why it is not a good thing to revive it; what can be the possible side effects if the powerplant will be brought to life and how will affect the people near it and the environment around it. Bataan nuclear powerplant may or may not change the future of the generation sector.

DISCUSSION

Currently, there are talks about the Philippines reviving the BNPP. This is mainly because of Philippine energy needs. The talks about reopening the BNPP are being debated in the Senate, and there are voices on both sides of the issue. Proponents for reinstating the plant say that the energy source is cheap and that after the initial investment to upgrade the plant and it can help with the issue of the supply of electricity. They also said that a nuclear energy station will help the Philippines solve some problems. A nuclear power plant can deliver high amounts of power much more efficiently than any fossil fuel and the cost to maintain a nuclear facility tends to be lower than that of a coal facility. For comparison, 6 grams of nuclear fuel yields the same amount of energy as 1 metric ton of coal.

However, despite of the solutions to these problems, we are still not convinced to support the revival of the nuclear power plant. There are more problems that will appear if this continues. The main question that needs to be answered is the one regarding safety. Indeed, the debate regarding the plant in recent years has centered around the location’s earthquake proneness. Scientists are also still considering the plant's siting issues since its location is less than 100 miles away from four volcanoes and three geological faults. There is still uncertainty about the eruption history of Mt. Natib, a volcano only a few miles away. A study conducted by The Geological Society of London in 2012 revealed the probability of a volcanic eruption on Mt. Natib, and said that Natib’s active volcanic hydrothermal system means that Natib has credible potential for future eruption.

During the time that the BNPP was being built, planning nuclear power plant facilities did not take into account internationally accepted guidelines regarding volcanic hazards, and permits were granted based on studies guided by local practices based on science that do not take into account the developments in nuclear power and volcanology in the last few decades. Also, in the event of any nuclear incident, living within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear power plant will make the air unsafe to breath. Water and food sources within 50 miles may also be unsafe and the probability that the BNPP may turn out to be another disastrous project in the making if reactivated, just like what happened in Chernobyl accident is still high.