Last week, 11 March 2011, at 2:46 PM (local time), Japan was struck by the largest recorded earthquake in its history off the coast of northeast city of Sendai. It was logged at 8.9 on the Richter scale that knocked out the electrical grid powering Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant facility. This was followed by a powerful 30-foot tsunami triggered by the earthquake that washed away the plant’s diesel fuel tanks flooding its critical switching gear. These emergency diesel generators were supposed to provide the power needed to keep water from pumping to cool its nuclear fuel rods (even if the reactor was shut down since the fuel still gives off heat). When the pumping failed, it caused its water to boil and created a steam which then heated the rods further and melted its zirconium alloy casings. The zirconium alloy reacted to the steam which then created a highly-volatile hydrogen gas that eventually exploded, causing the outer building of the plant blew off its roof.
The Fukushima incident has also triggered the more than two decades debate in the Philippines whether to revived the already mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or not.
The demand from the environment organization Greenpeace yesterday (16 March 2011), when they called on the Aquino administration to abandon all its nuclear power plans including those currently included in the Philippine Energy Plan and the Energy Reform Agenda has challenged the statement provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) chief, Mario Montejo, from his yesterday’s interview at ANC’s (ABS-CBN News Channel) Headstart.
According to Secretary Montejo, he supports the nuclear power option since it is still a viable source of energy for the Philippines despite of the partial meltdowns of nuclear reactors in Japan. "Nuclear power is a safe, economical source of power. You have to look at it in relative terms. Our power rates are too high. The only way to bring it down is to use nuclear power," he told ANC's Headstart. Secretary Montejo also said that the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) was designed to withstand an earthquake that would cause higher ground elevation than the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that hit the northeast part of Japan last Friday. "The assumption is, the BNPP is much stronger than the one in Japan," he said. He also added that the BNPP would need retrofitting to upgrade its technology using the lessons learned in the Japan incident1.
Secretary Montejo’s views were supported by the director of the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS), Dr. Carlo Arcilla, also during the interview at ANC’s Headstart2. He said that the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is much safer than the Tokyo Electric Power Co. Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan because according to Dr. Arcilla, the plant is a very old nuclear power plant that uses boiling water reactor (BWR) technology that was used in the 70s. On the other hand, the nuclear power plant in Morong, Bataan uses pressurized water reactors used in many nuclear power plants in France and the United States.
Dr. Arcilla also said that there is an exact replica of the BNPP in Japan which up to now has been running properly since 1983. His own studies also showed that the BNPP was not built on an active fault. However, one could be near the plant. He also added that the only thing that damaged the Fukushima plant though it withstood a massive 8.9 earthquake was the 30-foot tsunami. The BNPP is built 18 meters above sea level, which is still higher than the 30-foot tsunami that struck Japan.
Currently, the Philippines has the highest residential power rates in the world which is at 18 US cents per kilowatt-hour which overtook Japan at 17 cents, followed by Singapore at 15 cents, eight in Thailand, seven in Malaysia, five in Indonesia, three cents in Vietnam, and five cents in Indonesia. In terms of the commercial rate, it is 14 cents in Singapore, 13 in the Philippines, 12 in Japan, eight in Thailand, seven in Malaysia, six in Vietnam, and five cents in Indonesia3. Again, Japan is in the top 3 while the Philippines is in the second spot next to Singapore which has the highest commercial power rate in the world. Now we would wonder, Japan, which has 14 nuclear reactors placed all over their country is still among the nations that has the highest residential and commercial power rates? These then would challenged the claims of Secretary Montejo as well as Dr. Arcilla that the BNPP would lead to lower power rates?
Dr. Arcilla also said that nuclear power is the cheapest to produce in the entire world since it is not reliant on fossil fuels such as coal and oil as well as uranium is readily available. The Philippines is very much dependent in oil importations which is currently at US$135 per barrel for diesel albeit similar scenario would take place for uranium in case that the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant will be in its full operation. Importation from uranium-rich countries like Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Nigeria, Namibia, and Uzbekistan would again prompt the country in its dependence with the said primary resource for the nuclear power.
The 2007-2035 Philippine Energy Plan released by the Department of Energy states that the Philippines - a net energy importer - must consider a renewed nuclear power program amid oil price volatility. With the said proposal, the Aquino government is not keen on reviving BNPP due to safety concerns that also made more certain with the nuclear reactor incident in Fukushima.
To be continued...
References:
1 abs-cbnNews.com, DOST chief still supports nuke power option, posted by David Dizon, 16 March 2011
2 abs-cbnNews.com, Bataan nuke safer than Fukushima plant: UP-NIGS chief, posted by David Dizon, 17 March 2011
3 eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/elecprih.html. As of February 2011, the Philippines has the highest cost, not just in Asia, but in the world, philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=660035&publicationSubCategoryId=63
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