By GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte has ordered energy authorities to study the proposed use of the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant and consult the concerned communities.
The President issued the latest directive following a meeting with Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and former Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
“Inatasan na pag-aralan mabuti ung pagbubukas ng nuclear power plant sa Bataan… Ang sabi ni Presidente, start from the ground. Pag-aralan mabuti but start from the ground,” he said during a televised press briefing in Bataan.
“I take that to mean na tayong mga taga-Bataan ang konsultahin muna kung gusto natin buksan ang bataan nuclear power plant,” he added.
The 621-megawatt power plant was built Morong, Bataan in the 1980s amounting $2.2 billion but was never used due to alleged safety issues.
Roque said the President recognized that any decision on whether or not to tap the nuclear power should emanate from the people, not just from the government.
“Tatanungin ang taumbayan ng Bataan kung ano ba talagang gusto nila. Hindi puwede na sa taas ang nanggagaling ang desisyon… Tayo daw po ang unang konsultahin kung mabubuksan muli ang Bataan nuclear plant,” he said.
In July, the President issued Executive Order No. 116 creating an inter-agency committee to evaluate and assess the need and viability of introducing nuclear power in the country’s power generation mix.
The Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee, to be chaired by the Department of Energy, must take into consideration the economic, security, and environmental implications as well as engagement of the public and the relevant stakeholders, according to the President.
The committee is also directed to review the existing legal framework and study the viability of nuclear energy.
