US firm tries to sway PNoy over BNPP rehab

A US-based engineering firm is trying to convince the Philippine government to rethink its plan to scrap the country’s first and only nuclear power facility, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Excel Engineering Inc. told President Benigno Aquino III, during his visit to the US last month, that the company was interested in rehabilitating the facility also known as BNPP, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said. The Americans were trying to convince the President to revive the BNPP, saying there are new technologies to facilitate the rehabilitation, Almendras told reporters this weekend. Almendras recalled that Excel officials were telling the President that “technology has changed, has shifted, and there are ways to mitigate countries with seismic risks." “[Excel] has given me a proposal already [on] how to rehabilitate the BNPP," Almendras pointed out. Almendras said he and the President had informed the US company that the Aquino administration has yet to make its nuclear policy. “We’re not ready because we’re still determining our stand on nuclear [energy] and we still have to do our study on safety standards," he stressed. Two Japan-based companies Kansai Electric Power Corp. and Tokyo Electric Power Corp. have already signified interest to help the Philippine government should it decide to push through with plans to put up a nuclear facility or revive the BNPP. Japan-based Toshiba Corp. had earlier said it would be willing to supply nuclear reactor to the Philippines. Toshiba is among the biggest suppliers of nuclear reactors in Japan. Based on government estimates, the Philippines would need about $1 billion for the rehabilitation of BNPP while a 620-megawatt (MW) newly built nuclear plant will cost around $1.24 billion or $2 million per MW. In 1976, the administration of then President Ferdinand Marcos started building the BNPP. But in 1979, following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the US, safety issues were raised and an inspection revealed that the BNPP had around 4,000 defects. It was nearly complete in 1986 when Marcos was overthrown in a people power revolt. The government had spent $2.3 billion for the nuclear facility it never used. —With Jesse Edep/VS, GMANews.TV