Long road to nuclear energy
The Philippines took a big step closer to including nuclear power into its energy mix after President Marcos Jr. signed on Sept. 18 a law promoting its safe use and creating the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilAtom). Republic Act No. 12305, or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, provides the legal framework for the peaceful, safe, and secure use of nuclear energy in the country, with PhilAtom having the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to exercise regulatory control for its adoption in generating electricity.
The Department of Energy describes RA 12305 as a milestone in the country’s shift toward clean energy sources, a measure that, according to Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin, “modernizes nuclear regulation consistent with the latest International Atomic Energy Agency standards and global best practices.” The IAEA is an autonomous organization within the United Nations system promoting cooperation in the nuclear field.
PhilAtom, to be headed by a director general appointed by the president, will issue the implementing rules, safety standards, and guidelines for the use of nuclear energy in electricity generation. It is also mandated to enforce compliance through inspections, notices of violation, and penalties. It has the power to “suspend, modify, or revoke authorizations, after due notice and hearing, which fail to comply with the provisions” of the law.
19 key issues
A salient point of the law is on safety. PhilAtom will require companies engaging in nuclear energy to “be responsible for preparing an onsite emergency plan, and for making arrangements for emergency preparedness and response, including a clear assignment of responsibility for immediate notification of an emergency coordinated with all relevant emergency intervention or response organizations.”
It will still be years before the country sees a nuclear facility contributing electricity to the grid. What RA 12305 does is the provision of a legal framework for nuclear energy use, which is one of the 19 key issues flagged by the IAEA when it sent to the Philippines a team of experts in 2018 for in-depth discussions about best international practices.
Of the three phases of nuclear development, the IAEA considers phase 2 as the most difficult, given its complex preparatory requirements such as establishing institutions and governance frameworks. Within the region, Vietnam and the Philippines are the most advanced, currently in the preparation stage or phase 2, while Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia remain in the initial consideration phase.
Public acceptance
Among the 19 issues raised by the IAEA, the agency noted that high cost of financing and public acceptance are the most common challenges. For the Philippines, convincing the people to accept nuclear energy will be a daunting task. Nuclear energy was first considered by the government as an alternative source of energy after the 1973 oil crisis.
As a result, the Bataan nuclear power plant was built during the term of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the early 1980s. However, it never operated after it was mothballed when President Corazon Aquino took power in 1986. Her administration that succeeded Marcos cited the bloated price of the plant due to alleged kickbacks and the global fears triggered by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Russia. The Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan in 2011 dampened other efforts to revive nuclear energy in the Philippines.
Electricity generation in the country has been about 60 percent coal-based, with renewable sources such as geothermal, hydropower, and solar contributing about 25 percent.
Low-carbon option
The country’s reliance on coal, which releases significant amounts of pollutants, has raised concerns about the country’s transition to a cleaner energy future that it has promised the international community. This has been caused by shifting political positions on nuclear energy over the years.
However, with the climate issues hounding the world, experts have pointed to nuclear power as an attractive low-carbon option that can provide stable power supply, making it appealing to countries seeking to comply with global climate commitments. The signing of RA 12305 thus puts the Philippines back on track toward including nuclear power in its energy mix to reduce carbon emission.
According to the IAEA, 23 countries, including the Philippines, have now decided to pursue their first nuclear power plants. One path that offers great promise for the Philippines is the adoption of small modular reactors (SMRs). The IAEA has noted that these facilities benefit from their smaller scale, lower cost compared with large plants, and faster construction and licensing timelines. Given that the Philippines comprises thousands of islands, large nuclear plants may not be necessary moving forward and SMRs can prove to be a more viable solution.
