Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Intramuros, Manila

Bataan: The come back of Nuclear Power

Plant

Submitted to:

Submitted by:

Ms. Irene Sayas

Castor, Nikka
Chung, Sabrina
Cruz, Rizzie
Mallari, Nicolai

PHASE I:

Defining Study Goals

1. What information is needed and how precise must it be for

A. The proponent to minimize environment impact?

This is where we talk about how conscious we are, taking a glance to

some certain programs or projects that can merely affect our environment.
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is one optimal example on how we can test
our knowledge by pointing some perspective ideas or rather, criticize our
brains just in order to say, we must continue or shut down totally the
unfinished legacy of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

B. The government agency to reach a decision on approving the project?

According to the history of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, under a regime of

martial law, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in July 1973
announced the decision to build a nuclear power plant. This was in
response to the 1973 oil crisis, as the Middle East oil embargo had put a
heavy strain on the Philippine economy, and Marcos believed nuclear
power to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and

decreasing dependence on imported oil. Construction on the Bataan

Nuclear Power Plant began in 1976 and was completed in 1984 at a cost of
$2.3 billion. Unfortunately, Marcos was overthrown by the People Power
Revolution in 1986. Days after the April 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the
succeeding administration of President Corazon Aquino decided not to
operate the plant. Among other considerations taken were the strong
opposition from Bataan residents and Philippine citizens. Debt repayments
on the plant became the countrys biggest single obligation, and while
successive governments have looked at several proposals to convert the
plant into oil, coal, or gas-fired power station, but all have been deemed
less economically attractive in the long term than the construction of new
power stations.

C. Concerned groups to know how they will be affected?

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant has been a craze-talk of the town yet mystery
unresolved case to each Filipino who until now, suffers from one of the
biggest burden ever, since Bataan Nuclear Power Plant has been
implemented. Toward this step, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute,
director Dr. Alumanda de la Rosa said the PNRI would be updating its
regulations and retraining its staff in case the government goes ahead and
opens the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Some officials,
including Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said that making use of this

plantation may occur 620 megawatts and can produce power to all regions
of Visayas.

2. What resources are needed for the study? What resources are available?

A. What expertise is needed? Available?

De la Rosa said the National Power Corp., on the recommendation of the

International Atomic Energy Administration, was studying the feasibility
of rehabilitating the BNPP. The Department of Energy asked the IAEA to
assist us in deciding whether or not to rehabilitate the BNPP and the
recommendation of the IAEA was a thorough investigation to determine
the technical integrity of the structure, she said. De la Rosa disclosed that
at least three nuclear power plants similar to the BNPP were built in other
countries around the same time in 1984 and these were still operating
safely today. We know there are three nuclear plants of the same design,
built at the same time as Bataan and [they] are operating safely, she said.
These are in South Korea, Brazil and Slovenia, formerly a part of
Yugoslavia. De la Rosa mentioned. Some nuclear power plants in the
United States older than the BNPP are also still in operation.

In the US, some nuclear plants about 40 years old... have been given
government approval to operate for another 20 years, There could have
been upgrades and some parts changed through the lifetime of the plants
but in terms of technology, its still the same.

As for opening the BNPP, the PNRI had time to train people and, as a
regulator, training is continuous in terms of nuclear power.
B. How much time is needed for baseline and experimental studies? How
much time remains before the projects is supposed to begin?

The Philippine Department of Energy and the Tokyo Electric Power

Company is in plans to setup a Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines.
Considering past history, this is going to be a very tricky issue for the
government. Especially since the government is still paying its debts for
the construction of the Plant despite the fact that it was never made use of.
We think its a good idea, but hope it will help the country lower its energy
rates. The Philippines is notorious for having very high electricity rates
that turn off potential foreign investors. Then again, the decision to go
nuclear is still ways off, as it is by 2022 that the country will decide to
build a nuclear power plant based on former President Ramos 25 year
plan for the country.

C. How much money is needed to conduct the proposed studies?

Eventually, the idea too was scrapped because it would come out more
expensive compared to building a new power plant using conventional
energy.

PHASE II:

Identifying Potential Impacts

1. What are the boundaries of potential impacts?

Area Affected:
The Nuclear Power Plant is Located at the Bataan Peninsula, a rocky
extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It
separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea. The peninsula features
Mount Natib (1,253 m) in the north and the Mariveles Mountains in the south,
which includes Mount Samat, the location of the historical marker for the
Bataan Death March.

2. What is the range of potential impacts?

Nuclear power plants are less likely to produce pollution and more friendly to
the environment. It does not release harmful gases to the atmosphere like
those in coal-burning plants such as sulfur dioxide which is responsible for
acid rains, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide which is responsible for the

greenhouse effect. Nuclear power plants do not accumulate ash, which is a

solid waste and must be removed for land burial. All the nuclear waste
produced in the U.S. is less than one thousandth of all the solid waste regarded
as hazardous. In Pittsburgh, a large nuclear power plant supplying its power
would produce each day high level waste the volume of two basketballs and
each year such waste.

3. Which potential impacts are most significant? Which effects will violate
existing laws, plans or policies?
Nuclear power is highly expensive and a risky investment, repeatedly failing
to deliver. Its construction and generating costs are greater than most
renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. It posses multiple
threats to people and the environment. The risks and environmental damage
from its spawned sub industries. Which are the mining, processing and
transport of nuclear fuel and nuclear weapons proliferation. The potential
hazard of a serious accident. The unsolved problem of nuclear waste. The
cost of nuclear waste disposal is a whole new world of spending altogether.