FATHER SATURNINO URIOS UNIVERSITY

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A Meta-Analysis:
Stand on Proposed Use Of
Nuclear Energy in the Philippines

Submitted in Fulfillment for the requirement in

GE 102: Readings in Philippine History

Submitted by:
Aguaviva, Ruby Mae
Ampong,Ronaneth
Busante, Neil
Cunanan, Abigael
Escollada Krista Chloie
Guilot, Jewel.,
Lamzon, Rithneall
Montero, Ponchelle Mae
Morgadez, Noemie
Rodrigo, Lexine
Salamanca, Celna
Telarma, Alfred

Submitted to:
Sir Xerdon C. Catamora
GE 102 INSTRUCTOR

December 2022
 INTRODUCTION

The Philippines is a proud country of over seven thousand islands. Rich in

natural resources such as various minerals, precious stones, wildlife, and even oil.
However, the Philippines has been plagued by an energy crisis resulting in an
alarmingly high cost of energy. A study by Ravago, et. al (2019) stated that
Philippine residential rates in 2015 were $0.19/kWh (9.12P)versus $0.16/kWh
(7.68P) in Singapore, $0.13/kWh (6.24P) in Thailand, $0.12/kWh (5.76) in Indonesia,
and $0.08/kWh (3.84P) in Malaysia. Ahmed (2018) says that It is time to redesign
the Philippine electricity sector. Electricity rates in the country are among the highest
in Southeast Asia, due in large part to our dependence on expensive imported
diesel, oil and coal.

One possible solution to this problem is to use nuclear power. National

Geographic defined Nuclear energy as energy that comes from the nucleus or the
core of an atom. For Nuclear energy to be used by humans, it must first need to
undergo a process called nuclear fission where atoms are split to release their core
energy. For this, controlled machines called nuclear reactors or power plants are
being used to control the process of nuclear fission to form the energy into electricity.
In the process of producing electricity, the machines utilized pellets of Uranium. The
atoms of Uranium are forced to break apart and release fission products which
cause other atoms of uranium to split, creating a chain reaction. These chain
reactions create heat. This then warms the reactor's cooling agent which is usually
the water that then produces steam that turns into turbines which then drive the
generators that creates electricity.

Moreover, A "Pre-Feasibility Study on the Establishment of Nuclear Power

Plant in ASEAN" was conducted by the ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE) on April
2018 with assistance from the Canadian government's Nuclear and Radiological
Program Administrative Support (NPRAS) program to highlight the country's
progress toward developing civilian nuclear power (Putra & Speed, 2018). According
to Bunthoeun (2020), the first nuclear power plant in the ASEAN region could start
operating by 2030, with a possibility of developing an additional two by 2035. Of the
10 Southeast Asian countries, the first five—Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand,
and the Philippines—are considered to be the front-runners due to their developed
legal and regulatory frameworks, nuclear energy infrastructure facilities, and the
necessary human resources. Furthermore, According to The World Nuclear Energy
(2020) identifies Malaysia, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia,
Myanmar, Indonesia, and Vietnam as Southeast Asian countries with potential
developing nuclear energy industries. Furthermore, amidst the promising view of the
use of the Nuclear power plants, there is still a lot to consider in dwelling to the
outgoing trend and promising effects of the Nuclear power plant in the Philippines in
view of the country's current situation.
 ANALYSIS

The rising popularity and usage of Nuclear power plants within the
neighboring Asian regions, challenges the view of the Philippines to having one. The
Philippines also has had a history of having a Nuclear Power plant, as response to
the 1973 oil crisis in the country, there constructed a nuclear power plant in the 621
MWe Westinghouse unit at Bataan that was completed in 1984 yet, never used as it
was situated in an area unacceptably at high risk of serious damage from
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. According to a study from Buenviaje, R.T.
(2018), the Philippine economy grows rapidly which also demands electricity, with
the utilization of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant may sustain energy security and
affordability. However, it was inactive due to safety and political constraints. There
are around 11 million people without proper electricity facilities in the Philippines, and
those with access experience frequent electricity fluctuations. Furthermore, the
Philippines has one of the most expensive electricity prices in Asia.

Implementing the use of nuclear power can give the Philippines an

advantage, such as overcoming power outages and high electricity prices, as well as
reducing the country's dependency on imported oil and coal. According to U.S.
Department of Energy, A typical Nuclear reactor produces one gigawatt of electricity
that can power 750,000 homes. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority as of
2020. There were about 26. 39 million households in the Philippines, As of June
2021, the total number of households in the Philippines with electricity service amounted
to 24.57 million, which represents an electrification level of 94.94 percent that costs
9.703 pesos that is 25% higher than the cost of electricity in other countries.

However, there are several major reasons why a nuclear power plant is not
beneficial to the Philippines compared to other countries and why nuclear energy
simply isn’t the solution fit for the Philippine energy crisis. Though it is indeed paving
its way towards the future, the Utilization of Nuclear energy has its downside. This
includes the raw material being used to conduct electricity, according to Gupta, P.K.
(2020). Uranium is an unstable natural material and direct or non-direct exposure
can expose an individual to harmful levels of radiation which can lead to cellular
aberrations and health problems. Nuclear waste and pollution used in nuclear fuel
are not only radioactive but also include highly toxic chemical components such as
plutonium. Disposing of these radioactive wastes can pose a variety of risks
associated with nuclear waste disposal. One of the most serious concerns about the
disposal of nuclear waste is the impact the hazardous substances may have on
plants and animals. According to a study titled, "Environmental Sustainability Issues
in Philippine Agriculture", by Briones, N.D., et al., farming and fishing are major
sources of livelihood in rural households in the Philippines. Farming systems in the
country are complex, multi-faceted, and geared to promote efficient production and a
steady source of income. The hazardous waste of Nuclear power plants imposes a
great risk on the major sources of livelihood in the Philippines.

An article by Hemanth (2021) states that nuclear fission can act as a reliable
source of cheap power, but the high cost of constructing nuclear plants makes
nuclear a difficult market to enter. In this high entry, the cost lies as one of the
problems why we think that nuclear energy cannot work in the Philippines. The major
political barrier in the Philippines is its lack of a national position on nuclear power
generation compared to other countries, such as Korea, China, Japan and other
Asian countries. The country needs to develop quality infrastructure to manage
nuclear waste. Nuclear power is efficient, clean, and has a high energy density; it
shows a promising trajectory in the long term.

For instance, according to Bae (2022), South Korea had 24 reactors, which
produced nearly one-third of the nation's electricity. Nuclear energy has long been a
national strategic priority. It continues to be one of the most significant nuclear
energy exporting nations in the world and is currently involved in the development of
the UAE's first nuclear power plant. Nuclear power has been an important, if an
understated, aspect of South Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth, a set of
policies reflecting the idea that economic growth and environmental protection can
be compatible activities rather than conflicting. It is important to note that the Korean
president elected in 2017 introduced a policy to phase out nuclear energy over some
45 years. However, President Yoon Suk-yeol, elected in March 2022, has scrapped
this policy, and set a target for nuclear power to provide a minimum of 30% of
electricity in 2030. By 2030, it is projected that up to 35% of South Korea's energy
needs would be met by nuclear energy. President Yoon anticipates that South
Korea's dependency on fossil fuels for approximately two-thirds of its energy needs
would decrease as a result of the gradual switch to nuclear energy- the research
results shows a positive effect management and effect of Nuclear power plants to
korea. However, the issues faced by the Philippines are related to nuclear waste
management and high start-up and investment costs, which do not attract the private
sector to invest. It is challenging for the authorities to decide because there is no
clear direction for the profitability of nuclear energy generation in the Philippines in
terms of investment and funding policies.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines is still in a period of economic

recovery, and such large-scale and long-term nuclear energy infrastructure projects
may not be a priority for both the government and private sectors. An article by
Rubio written on October 7th 2022 states that after President Ferdinand "Bongbong"
Marcos Jr. borrowed another $2 billion from foreign lenders, our national debt has
risen to over 13 trillion. We are already struggling to keep up with what we already
have. Putting a further burden on our national budget by adding a huge project in
making a nuclear power plant is not sustainable, and adding upon our seemingly
“unpayable” debt is not the solution we can afford.

Another result from one of the studies shows that there is still a need for
further training and practice to operate a nuclear power plant in the Philippines. As
the Senate Economic Planning Office (SETO) of the Philippines stated in its policy
brief, "To operate an NPP without building up the technical and regulatory
capabilities needed to ensure its safe and efficient operation is not only unwise but
extremely dangerous and risky as well." Furthermore, the generation of nuclear
power in a country requires high levels of knowledge and expertise.

While Filipino scientists have developed competitive expertise in renewable

energy sources, the Philippines needs more experts with the ability to manage
important domains in the organization of a nuclear power plant. When it comes to the
environment, environmental externalities play a big role in opening other nuclear
power plants elsewhere in the country. Extreme natural hazards in the Philippines
can initiate nuclear accidents. Because the Philippines is located on the Pacific Ring
of Fire, many areas are prone to earthquakes caused by active seismotectonic
conditions. Being situated in the Pacific, the Philippines is always exposed to tropical
cyclones (TCs), with an average of 20 TCs entering the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) per year. Floods can damage nuclear sites and severely impair
the necessary systems needed to support and sustain safety functions and provide
backup power or generators. Seawater can also overload the reactor buildings with a
large amount of debris, restricting access to the site, just as happened in the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan in March 2011.

There is a lot to learn in terms of the viability of nuclear power generation in

the Philippines, considering its safety, major reactor accidents, disposal of nuclear
waste, and even the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. A major problem seen
with implementation of Nuclear power in the country is that the waste management
is lacking and the country's ability on disposal of waste products in the Philippines is
not well established. Considering the Hazardous waste product of the Nuclear Power
Plants, the country is seen to develop problems on the hazardous waste disposal.
Bearing in mind that there are still neighborhoods in the country built upon trash
heaps, like the infamous smoky mountains.

The implementation of nuclear power in the country will result in a

compounding problem that all lead down to the simple fact that the country isn't
ready for a huge project. There will be threats further stretching the already thin
structure of the government, the poor implementation of projects, and the lives of
everybody in the country if nuclear particles will spread into the environment.

Due to the risk of disasters, it is considerably challenging for the Philippines to

guarantee a safe site, along with developing essential safety systems that will
prevent damage to the nuclear reactors and the discharge of radioactivity into the
environment. Also, concerns about the location of the risks is a major driver of
discussions on nuclear energy development in the Philippines. Such risk aversion
can be related to the meltdown at Chornobyl and the tragedy of Fukushima, which
continue to serve as precautions to the point where, in the Philippines, nuclear
development has not been a viable energy option. Regardless of studies on the
probability of risk, the view that nuclear plants are unsafe remains dominant in
discussions of energy transitions in the Philippines.
 CONCLUSION

Energy is essential for sustainable economic growth and improved human

welfare. Nuclear energy provides access to clean, reliable and affordable energy,
mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. It is a significant part of the world
energy mix and its use is expected to grow in the coming decades. (Energy, 2016).
According to Executive Order No.164 For the country to achieve its sustained
growth targets, it must ensure that it has a reliable, secure, sustainable, quality and
affordable electricity supply, including sufficient reserve to guarantee that there will
be no disruptions in the power supply.

The potential risk of a nuclear accident like the infamous tragedies of

Fukushima and Chernobyl, is what scares millions of people away from nuclear
power as a source of electricity generation in the Philippines. Going nuclear is not
the correct choice for the Philippines because it can produce highly long-lived
radioactive wastes, accelerate nuclear proliferation, and cause catastrophic damage
due to accidents, sabotage, or terrorism. It uses water, takes a long time to build,
and is quite expensive. The nuclear option is only a pricey and risky diversion for the
Philippines that it simply doesn't need to take as several nations have already begun
to phase out nuclear power in favor of renewable energy technology. The
researchers concede that nuclear energy is a desirable energy source. There are,
however, other critical factors that should be taken into account. Being in a
tectonically active area, the Philippines must carefully assess potential power plant
locations and waste storage locations. When setting up nuclear power facilities,
following the International Atomic Energy Agency's established safety criteria for
earthquakes, volcanic activity, and other dangers are essential. When choosing a
location, it is also important to consider the atmospheric and oceanic trajectories of
radioactive particles and the population density that will need to be evacuated in an
emergency.

The researcher perceives that the Philippines is not yet ready to deal with
nuclear power and implement it in a proper and safe manner. The drawbacks and
risks far outweigh the potential benefits of achieving sustainable nuclear energy. The
country is far from being able to guarantee success if we commit to nuclear energy.
 Given the positive effect of Nuclear power to the Philippines it will address the
country’s problem in terms of its fluctuating electricity and supply to the growing
population of the country, lessen the expensive cost of the electricity and would
promote a cleaner source of energy. Nevertheless, the current state of the
Philippines puts the country at risk for accepting the Nuclear power plant project for
the following factors identified in the studies used:The threat it brings to the
environment that would affect the major livelihoods of the Filipinos- Farming and
Fishing. Radiation’s effect on the Health of the People and the doubting capability of
the country to manage hazardous waste products. The weak political structure, the
country’s geographical location-putting it at risk for numerous disasters, and the high
cost of implementing the project itself, that the country cannot afford.

Instead, the researcher suggests that the country lean towards its abundance
of natural resources and use it to its advantage to create clean and sustainable
energy without the risks, cost, and burden that nuclear energy brings along with it.
There are a plethora of other ways we can deal with our energy crisis. The best
energy source for the Philippines is not nuclear, but rather renewable energy
technologies that have already been established and demonstrated. These are less
dangerous, environmentally friendly, socially acceptable, and economically viable
alternatives. The researcher recommends that instead of looking for new ventures,
that the government should instead focus on improving upon what we already have.
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