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Nuclear power is world's safest, good for PH: advocate

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Trishia Billones, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKKpi4Rvgps" width="560"></iframe></figure>An advocate of nuclear power and former lawmaker on Thursday claimed that nuclear power is the safest, cleanest, and cheapest power-generator in the Philippine context.Speaking in ANC&#x27;s Headstart with Karen Davila, former Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuanco cited the recorded deaths per terrawatts per hour from the World Health Organization, which placed nuclear energy as the least deadly among power generators.Coal, in his graph, figured the highest at 170,000 deaths per TWh, followed by oil at 36,000 and biofuel/biomass at 24,000.&quot;Nuclear has already saved a million lives worldwide because if we build a nuclear plant instead of a coal plant or an oil plant or a gas plant, then we are saving lives every year,&quot; he said.He noted, around 30 countries have nuclear power in their energy mix, with over 440 nuclear power plants in operation, more than 60 under construction, and more than a hundred planned.Among them are Russia, United States, France, and England.Cojuanco said, though anti-nuclear movement gained ground in the 60s and the 70s in some democratic countries, France stuck to its policy and &quot;they have a lot to show for it.&quot;&quot;The cheapest power rates in Europe today is in France. The cleanest country in terms of CO2 emissions and pollutions in France. Countries that have adopted it has a lot of economic benefit and environmental benefit to show for it,&quot; he said.The current Philippine administration, guided by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, expressed interest in reviving the Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP).READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/30/16/cusi-govt-may-open-mothballed-bataan-nuclear-power-plant">Cusi: Gov&#x27;t may open mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant</a>Cusi has said that he is in favor of reviving the four decade-old plant even if it is estimated to require a $1-billion investment. He and representatives from the International Atomic Agency will be visiting the site Thursday.A decade ago, the country also looked into reopening the plant but the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan renewed concerns about safety.But Cojuanco assured that the BNPP will be safer than the Fukushima plant, which was equipped with a seismic design factor (peak ground acceleration) of 0.18 g, and survived a magnitude-9 earthquake.&quot;BNPP is designed with 0.4 g—more than double the design basis—which would mean that if a [magnitude-] 9 earthquake were to hit Morong, I can definitively say that nothing will happen to our BNPP,&quot; he said.He also noted that it was not the earthquake per se that damaged the Japanese power plant, but the tsunami that came thereafter.&quot;Fukushima is 6 meters above sea-level, BNPP is 19 meters above sea-level. Its generators are not in the basement. I can definitively say that if a tsunami the same size that hit Fukushima hits Morong, nothing will happen to our BNPP,&quot; he said.<div>LIFETIME EMISSIONS</div>Cojuanco also cited that lifetime emissions of nuclear power plants are among the lowest of any electricity generation method, second lowest, tied with wind offshore.Notably, the lifetime emissions of natural gas generation are 15 times greater, and that of coal generation are 30 times greater than nuclear.He also maintained that &quot;clean coal is an oxymoron.&quot;&quot;When you say ‘clean coal’, you have equipment in your coal power plant that sprays calcium carbonate, limestone solution, powder, into the smoke stack to remove sulfur emissions,&quot; he said.But sulfur, he said, is just a tiny component of coal emissions.&quot;If you’re talking about CO2, if you’re talking about coal ash, heavy metals—mercury, lead, cadmium, uranium, thorium, and radium in the coal ash which makes coals radioactive, 100 times more radioactive than a nuclear power plant,&quot; he said, citing Dr. Steven Chu, the first energy secretary of US President Barack Obama.<div>COST-EFFICIENCY AND LAWFULNESS</div>Cojuanco also claimed that nuclear power is the cheapest form of energy, at least in the Philippine context&quot;In the United States, cost per kilowatt hour is three US cents ($0.30)—that’s less than one peso and 50 centavos (P1.50) for the wholesale,&quot; he said.Cojuanco pointed out that if Filipino consumers can shoulder the feed-in-tariff allowance (FIT-All) currently charged, they can also finance the government&#x27;s investment in the nuclear power plant.He also maintained, the revival of the BNPP won&#x27;t violate the Clean Air Act, nor will it be unconstitutional.&quot;In fact, the Constitution said that we should use nuclear technology for peaceful uses, to benefit society,&quot; he said.If the administration is really set on reviving the BNPP to provide cheaper electricity rates, Cojuanco said it must put up a regulatory body.&quot;We have a nuclear power plant, and our regulator was disbanded—the PAEC (Philippine Atomic Energy Commission). We need something to say that the findings of PAEC, once validated by a new group, will be considered valid so that we can fast-track this,&quot; he said.

An advocate of nuclear power and former lawmaker on Thursday claimed that nuclear power is the safest, cleanest, and cheapest power-generator in the Philippine context.

An advocate of nuclear power and former lawmaker on Thursday claimed that nuclear power is the safest, cleanest, and cheapest power-generator in the Philippine context.

Nuclear power is world's safest, good for PH: advocate

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Nuclear power is world's safest, good for PH: advocate

Trishia Billones,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 01, 2016 12:26 PM PHT

Read More:

ANC

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Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

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Mark Cojuanco

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