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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporer
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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has rejected prospects for nuclear power to resolve the country’s energy supply concerns.
The deficit in power supply is not yet an “extremist,” Duterte claimed.
“Wala pa talaga tayo danger zone that we will die if there’s no energy because it runs the machines. Lahat ng nakikita mo, langis ‘yan. Ilaw, lahat ‘yan, lahat ito. Hindi ito nagagawa kung walang semento, pati, lahat. But we are not in that danger,” he said.
Stressing safety issues that come with nuclear power, the President said its use will not be a priority of his administration.
“Huwag muna ngayon kasi we have to come up with safeguards. Really, really tight safeguards to assure that there will be no disasters if there is a nuclear leak or explosion somewhere in the nuclear reactors that we will build in,” Duterte said.
Sec. Alfonso Cusi of the Department of Energy has expressed support for plans to revive the nuclear energy program to ensure uninterrupted power supply. Last September, Senators Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian visited the 40-year-old Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which was seen to be a potential source of energy.
The revival of the used facility, constructed during the Marcos government, will cost nearly P1.9 billion, the energy sector said.
Duterte, meanwhile, urged Congress and the public to study the proposal “carefully.”
“For after all, pag may leak ‘yan, pag mag ano, lahat tayo tatamaan diyan and it’s our country, remember that.” Duterte said./PN
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