LATELY, there were interesting discussions on the possible operation of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which was built during the first Marcos administration. Will Marcos Administration 2.0 push through with it? There are those who paint the facility as a panacea to the country’s power woes.
The incoming government should be more circumspect. Instead of rushing to wake up the sleeping “monster of Morong” from its 30-year slumber, it should weigh the pros and cons of operating it. Can our nation handle a highly toxic problem should it come to that? On top of the safety issues that have haunted the controversial facility, the country’s capacity – or lack of it – to manage the plant’s byproduct nuclear waste if ever it is operated should be seriously considered.
How do BNPP pushers intend to manage, store and dispose of the tons of highly toxic waste that will be generated when we cannot even effectively deal with our ordinary household discards? Nuclear waste disposal is a huge problem even in highly industrialized countries like the US. Where will they store the radioactive waste totally secured from any seismic or volcanic damage, knowing that the BNPP sits on an earthquake fault line and near Mt. Natib, a potentially active volcano?
In the US, the resulting waste disposal problem has become a major challenge for policymakers. Nuclear fuel remains dangerously radioactive for thousands of years after it is no longer useful in a commercial reactor. According to Greenpeace USA, “there is still no safe, reliable solution for dealing with the radioactive waste produced by nuclear plants. Every waste dump in the US leaks radiation into the environment, and nuclear plants themselves are running out of ways to store highly radioactive waste on site.”
The Department of Energy (DOE) should publicly disclose the results of a confidential study on the BNPP commissioned by the government from 1988 to 1992. The study purportedly did not support the activation of the plant due to safety issues.
Curiously, while DOE is aggressively campaigning for nuclear energy, it appears lukewarm to the development of clean energy sources that are safe, non-toxic, climate-friendly and sustainable. Is there a department campaigning for clean, safe and renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro) that are plentiful in our country?
