Spratlys can be disposal site for RP's nuclear waste

The Philippines may choose to dispose of nuclear waste at the Spratlys Islands should the government proceed with a plan to use nuclear energy. Using the islands as a disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel may even end the dispute over its ownership, said Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco, who authored a House Bill that intends to rehabilitate the country’s only nuclear plant in Bataan. Besides the Philippines, a host of other countries including China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam are claiming dominion over the islands. The disputed territory “can actually be a mechanism for regional peace because [other countries claiming the Spratlys] are looking for repositories of nuclear waste," Cojuangco said in a briefing. While Vietnam has ordered the construction of six nuclear plants, China plans to build more than those currently standing in the US in the next decade, Cojuangco added. Although the islands comprise less than five square kilometers of land area, the disputed territory can be used as a marker for international boundaries. It is made up of more than 650 reefs, islets, atolls, cays, and islands in the South China Sea. “We just have to find a geologically stable area in the Philippines where you can bury these spent fuels. There is an estimate that we would need P250 million to dispose 17 million tons of spent fuels," he said. Under Cojuangco’s proposed bill, once rehabilitated, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant will undergo a validation and certification before it will be allowed to operate. Once the law is enacted, and upon certification of experts, the plant can go online in five years, Cojuangco said, contradicting an energy department study that predicted it may take 15 years before the plant may run. The facility’s rehabilitation will be paid for by a $1 billion fund sourced from a ten centavo per kilowatthour (kWh) surcharge imposed on consumers. Power generated from the BNPP is expected to be P2.50 per kWh cheaper than current rates charged by the National Power Corp. (Napocor), the Philippines’ largest power producer. Electricity sourced from Napocor costs anywhere from P4 to P5 per kWh. - GMANews.TV