Charter not a hurdle

Constitutional prohibition will not be a problem for the use of nuclear fuel as a source of electricity, since what the Charter bars are weapons and not the peaceful use of the energy source, an official of the Department of Energy (DoE) said.

DoE Assistant Secretary Gerardo Erguiza Jr. said aside from energy fuel, nuclear energy is also used for agriculture and medicine.

Nuclear energy is now widely used among highly developed economies for food, animal and crop production. It is also employed in manufacturing fertilizer and ensuring soil fertility.

Nuclear energy can be used in the production of nitrogen fertilizer in place of natural gas. It has been found that this technology increases the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer while reducing environmental pollution.

In the recent official visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Russia, state-owned power firm Rosatom signed an agreement for Russian and Philippine energy officials to “sit down and draft a framework for nuclear cooperation.”

The DoE proposed a P97 million budget to hold studies on the use of nuclear fuel, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said during the Senate hearing on the agency’s proposed P2.3 billion budget for 2020.

The amount is needed to prepare for any initiative to secure the energy source for the country.

“There is no explicit approval from the President that we go nuclear. What the DoE is looking at is all the alternative sources of energy, considering our country’s vulnerability and taking into account energy security. We are only preparing,” Cusi added.

The agreement was a follow-up of the memorandum of commitment (MoC) in which the Philippines and Russia agreed to conduct studies on nuclear infrastructure and the audit and assessment on the condition of the BNPP and possible options for its use or rehabilitation.

The MoC also allowed both parties to conduct similar studies on nuclear power plants in general as may be deemed necessary and consistent with the national energy development plans and policies of the Philippines.

Both the Philippines and Russia are part of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and are parties to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Under the MoC, joint working groups will undertake specific projects, exchange of experts, workshops and training of personnel and sharing of technical information.

Erguiza told Daily Tribune that small modular nuclear reactors of 50 megawatts (MW) each is ideal for off-grid or isolated places to attain full electrification for the country.

A rule of thumb puts $600 million in investments is needed to generate 200 MW of electricity from nuclear power that places each of the 50-MW reactor at a cost of $150 million.

The official noted that Rosatom is producing third-generation nuclear plants that have upgraded safety standards that is safer than the second-generation Fukushima plants that was affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Such technology has a life span of at least 60 years based on sustainability of fuel and reliability of technology, according to Erquiza.

He explained the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is at the level of Fukishima generators in terms of safety and reliability.

Studies made by Korean and Russian experts indicated that the mothballed BNPP can still be revived at a lesser cost compared to putting up an entirely new nuclear power facility.

The DoE official cited four requirements from the International Atomic Energy Agency for a country embarking on a nuclear program, which are the identification of the nuclear infrastructure, a concrete government policy, regulatory framework for the program and public stakeholders’ acceptance.

Infrastructure would include the identification of a disposal system for radioactive waste.

Erquiza indicated that IAEA experts had completed a review of the proposed nuclear energy program that included an integrated work plan.

He said the shift to nuclear power is becoming an urgent option as a result of the commitment of the country to the Paris Agreement where it will reduce by as much as 70 percent the coal component in the generation mix.

He added the government has committed to a quota system on coal use that will require the replacement of 1,200 MW of power source that can be filled immediately by nuclear power.

The DoE is also launching a communications program on the reliability of nuclear energy to gain acceptance from the public.