The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, or BNPP, would have signaled the advent of the country joining the ranks of tiger economies in Asia as it should have been the first in the region to use the controversial fuel to produce electricity.

It could have solved the tricky problem of sustaining growth with a steady supply of electricity for the fast-developing nation.

Instead, the power plant in Morong, Bataan became a symbol of destructive politics.

By 1984, the BNPP was nearly complete and its cost had reached $2.3 billion.

It was among the first nuclear plant in Asia to be built by American giant Westinghouse.

After the 1987 EDSA Revolt that installed President Corazon Aquino, everything associated with the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was dismantled and thrown away including the BNPP which was mothballed, never to be used, laying to waste the huge amount paid for it.

Needless to say, the efforts of supporters of the nuclear shift as a cheap and reliable source of electricity were an uphill climb.

The political tide against nuclear technology did not deter its prime advocate Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco who had made it his mission to clear the air on the use of the unconventional fuel.

His argument for the use of nuclear technology is based on pragmatism since a power plant running on the fuel would result in cheaper electricity at an estimated P3.50 per kilowatthour, or kWh, compared to P6/kWh with coal energy, currently the most economical source of fuel.

Since the fuel is cheap, coal plants have been providing bulk of the electricity requirements of the country.

Government data show the country mostly uses coal, comprising 47 percent of its energy mix, and imports supply worth around P800 million.

The combination of all sources of power brings the average cost of electricity to around P7.50/kWh.