Environmental group opposes proposed Pangasinan nuclear plant

PANGASINAN — An environmental coalition is opposing a proposed 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Labrador, raising legal concerns over a local government resolution designed to lure nuclear energy investors.

Advocacy group “Talindeg Pangasinan” escalated its campaign against the project after the municipal council postponed a 7 October public hearing on Resolution No. 048-2022.

The municipal resolution aims to attract developers by offering the fourth-class municipality at least 1 percent of the plant’s generated electricity free of charge.

Talindeg president Titoy Mislang warned that the promised power allocation violates the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

Citing Sections 36 and 74 of the law, Mislang explained that power generation companies are legally prohibited from waiving regulated fees or assuming electricity costs for specific local communities.

He characterized the incentive as a legal illusion intended to mislead local residents.

The coalition stressed that Section 66 of the energy reform law already establishes standard host community benefits, setting a fixed allocation of 1 centavo per kilowatt-hour toward local electrification, community livelihoods, and reforestation projects.

Mislang warned that Labrador residents risk repeating the experience of nearby Sual, where residents continue to pay full power rates despite receiving similar promises of free electricity when a coal-fired power plant was built in 1999.

To block the project, Talindeg Pangasinan is searching for a municipal councilor to sponsor a Non-Nuclear Zone Ordinance. The draft ordinance would repeal Resolution No. 048-2022 and ban nuclear power infrastructure within the municipality.

The group announced plans to launch a signature petition for a local referendum if municipal officials fail to act.

The initiative aims to counter ongoing promotional efforts by nuclear energy advocates, including Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco, who continues to push for nuclear power development in the province.