Korean firm starts feasibility study for Bataan nuclear plant revival

MANILA, Philippines - Experts from Korea have started a feasibility study for the possible revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). Froilan Tampinco, president of National Power Corporation (Napocor), said in an interview that the team from the Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) arrived in the country Monday and initiated the pre-feasibility studies in the more than 20-year-old and the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines. The government and Kepco recently sealed a memorandum of understanding on the revival of the mothballed nuclear plant. “We had a meeting with the technical team of Kepco and they visited BNPP today (Friday). And I must say that there is still long way to go in as far as this is concern," Tampinco said. During the technical presentation held Tuesday by the Kepco experts, Tampinco said it was clearly emphasized to them of the basic reality that “in order to pursue an effective nuclear power program, there's got to be an extensive and comprehensive infrastructure in place and the Philippines has a long way to go in as far as this support infrastructure is concerned." However, Tampinco said until the results of the pre-feasibility studies were completed, they couldn’t say if the BNPP can be revived or if we have to build a new nuclear power plant. “We would have to see what the possibilities are, but we will be guided by the policies that will be mandated by the Department of Energy,"" added Tampinco. The study will be fully shouldered by the Korean firm, according to Tampinco. On the other hand, Tampinco said other interested firms are also welcomed to conduct another feasibility study on BNPP. “The MOU is non-exclusive and non-binding and at no cost. The effort does not prevent any other party who might be interested in coming in and doing their own study. And we also welcome that," Tampinco said. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes earlier said that the government is exploring the possible revival of the BNPP. "We are of course now open to this nuclear option and we like to revisit that option," said Reyes. By 2010, the Philippines is expected to experience power shortage due to increasing demand and lack of new plants being constructed. The Energy chief noted that comparing the Philippines to its neighboring countries in Asia, we are lagging behind and this is because of the opposition to use nuclear power. "The only way to do it is to open yourself to advances in technology, and available cooperation and assistance. Also [we have] to learn from the experiences of different countries in this area," he added. Likewise, the 2007 data of the DOE indicated that construction cost for nuclear plant would be around US$ 1.5 million per MW as compared to the investment for a geothermal plant valued at US$ 2 million per MW and an oil-fired plant, which costs around US$ 1.6 million per MW. The nuclear option would allow the government to generate 620 MW of stable power supply in the next 30 years, Reyes said. In 1976, the BNPP was built during the term of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to address the energy crisis that hit the country in the 1970s. The plant was valued at P21.2 billion or US$ 460 billion and with an interest rate of P1.06 billion at present. But the total cost of the plant after it was completed in 1984 was US$ 2.3 billion. -