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New Philippine leader seeks South Korea’s help to revive nuclear power plants



Bataan nuclear power plant: Can or should this ruin be restored? Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos has underscored his determination to adopt nuclear power in the country, with a South Korean envoy on May 23, according to Agence France-Presse, on the possibility of resuming construction in the early 1980s during his father’s fading dictatorship The $2.3 billion nuclear power plant has been in talks. The 620-megawatt Bataan nuclear power plant, located about 100 kilometers west of Metro Manila, has been dormant since Marcos Sr. was overthrown in 1986. However, due to persistent power shortages across the country, a revival plan has been on the agenda for years. The outgoing president…

Bataan nuclear power plant: Can or should this ruin be restored?

Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos has underscored his determination to adopt nuclear power in the country, holding talks with South Korean envoys on May 23 about a possible restoration of the cost-23 billion dollar factory, AFP report.

The 620-megawatt Bataan nuclear power plant, located about 100 kilometers west of Metro Manila, was dormant after the old Marcos was overthrown in 1986.

However, the revival plan has on the table Over the years, amid persistent power shortages across the country.Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte even release An executive order earlier this year made nuclear power part of the country’s planned energy mix as part of the phase-out of coal, which accounts for more than half of the Philippines’ electricity generation.

Revival or new factory?

On the eve of the May 9, 2022, presidential election, Marcos Jr. spoke of the need for nuclear power to address the country’s exorbitant electricity costs.

He then met with the South Korean ambassador to discuss the proposal to revive the Bataan factory with the help of South Korean industry expertise.

“Can we continue with it or do we need to build a new one? What do we have to do?” Marcos asked rhetorically at a news conference after the meeting.

“So we’ve reopened discussions about it, even though they’ve discussed it before. We’ll now look at their recommendations and their findings, and we’ll see if we can still apply,” he added.

$1 billion for upgrades

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cousy told a Senate hearing in 2020 that research by South Korean and Russian experts suggested the plant was likely to operate again. But upgrading an aging facility with outdated analog technology could take at least four years and cost another $1 billion.

There are also question marks over its design and location. The plant is located near several volcanoes in parts of the Philippines, which are regularly affected by earthquakes.

It takes three to seven years to build a new nuclear power plant from scratch. Construction costs are estimated to be between $4 billion and $9 billion.

Proponents of nuclear power in the Philippines say the technology offers a cleaner option to help meet demand. But critics argue that it is cheaper and safer to produce renewable energy such as wind and solar in a country regularly hit by earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions.



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