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iouse of Representatives
Quezon City, 9detro Man i&
:OURTEENTH CONGRESS
Upon collection of fees for its product, the BNPP shall turn over the said
funds to the rational Treasury on a monthly basis. The said fund shall then be
converted at the first day of every month into hard currency, which is defined
as a fifty percent (50%) mix of U.S . Dollars and Euro.
The account for the funds set aside for the purpose of decommissioning
the plant and making safe the plant site at the end of its operating or physical
lifetime of forty years shall be called: The BNPP End of Life Decommissioning
Fund (BELDF)-
In the event that the BELDF and the BSFDF will have surpluses after
the above conditions are met, these funds shall be used to further develop the
nuclear power Ind
and the Director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, shall promulgate
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this
__SECTION ~~~-
-__ Repealing
__-_~~ _-____ ._~Q~.decrees,
laws, executive
-__-__ ._`
'
rules and regulations, and other ances, or any part thereof, are
'
with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
ON 20. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
'
days from the date cof its publication at least two (2) newspapers of general
-
circulation,
Approved,
Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
Explanatory Note
Indeed, clean power, cheap power are words or phrases that, at first
glance, seem to be oxymoronic.
The Philippines has an asset, which has been paid for by society many
times over, its original price or worth.
Whatever the reasons, the bottom line- is that this asset is now a part of
the patrimony of the nation . It can forever be, a useless hulk or, it can be a
savior of our energy situation and, a tipping point in our national outlook as far
as energy and prosperity are concerned :
I realize that many of you are not convinced, that many. of our- people
are not convinced. And also, that many, have very legitimate anxieties,
apprehensions and fears about the possibility of the Philippines adopting
nuclear power as an alternative source of energy, let alone to commission and
run the BNPP as a viable and quick solution to our energy problems.
And so, I file this bill, a bill which seeks to make it a law, that our
government do all it can to make the BNPP a safe, clean, and functional
nuclear power plant.
At the very least, it is my opinion and hope that filing this bill will start or
spark a national debate on the merits and demerits of nuclear power as a
viable energy option . It will therefore be the means to a more informed public
choice on the future of nuclear power in this country.
But let me state that I believe it is in the country's best interests that the
BNPP be operated. It is also my belief that the nuclear power option is still the
best choice that the country can make to balance the supposedly conflicting
needs of abundant power (energy), cheap power (energy), clean and
harmless energy (power), for future and new power plants.
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STATISTICS :
In the U.S., statistically, 30, 000 plus deaths occur every year which are
directly attributable to the emissions of conventional power sources. Zero (0)
deaths per year are attributable to nuclear power generation . Even the
accident at Three Mile Island on March 28,1979, which is considered to be
one of most serious accident ever in the history of nuclear power plant
operations, caused zero injuries and zero deaths. This was the -same accident
which caused the suspension and downturn of the nuclear power industry in
the U.S., until recent times.
The deaths which occur every single year and which are attributable to
conventional power are greater in magnitude to the deaths attributable to the
one time event of Chernobyl. And yet, they are not sensational so as to be
covered in the news.
In sum, for the last fifty plus years of Commercial Nuclear Power in the
U.S., nuclear power, considering Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, has been
and is, the- safest and most reliable form of electric power generation ever
invented by man.
SHARED RISK:
Six (6) in Taiwan, Twenty (20) in South Korea, Eleven (11) in China,
Fifty Five (55) in Japan. With the on-going renaissance of the nuclear power
industry, these countries have nuclear plants either under construction or in
the process of being purchased. A total of eighty- one (81) additional units will
come on line in' the next few years- Aside from this, two of our very near
neighbors, Vietnam and Indonesia have intentions to build six (6) units for their
power needs. Malaysia and Thailand are both revisiting their nuclear options.
The developed world, has realized more and more acutely, the impact of
fossil fuel burning, most specially of coal, and C02 emissions on global
warming. They have come up with a system in the Tokyo Protocol by which
the rich countries pay poorer ones a fee, to reduce or forego, carbon
emissions .
More and more, the peoples of the world are beginning to perceive that
burning coal and fossil fuels for energy is akin to pumping out nature's septic
tanks which took billions ofyears for nature and life to deposit. And thereafter,
spreading all the filth around.
But, who is not to say that tomorrow, if the situation becomes more
critical or urgent, the more developed countries may seek to ban, or impose
sanctions, or duties on carbon emissions?
HYDROGEN:
The coming age in mobile energy consumption, will be the age of, THE
HYDROGEN ECONOMY 0
This age will usher in pollution free power for mobile applications, i.e.,
cars, buses, trucks, etc.
When that age comes, where will we get our hydrogen from? Definitely
not from fossil sources. That would be a self defeating exercise. By then, will
we have the necessary nuclear infrastructure and capacity in place to enable
us to 'generate the hydrogen that we will need to be participants in that new -
age? Or, will we again, be left behind?
Traditionally, the nuclear power industry has relied on Uranium for its
fuel. There is enough Uranium in the world to last for many centuries at even
increased rates ofconsumption.
This implies that energy resources for nuclear power generation are in
great abundance, so as to be considered limitless on our time horizons, even if
we consider our grandchildren's grandchildren's grandchildren's lifetimes.
The BNPP, at 620 MW of power, could have been enough to power the
islands of the Visayas which are now starting to experience rotating brownouts
in some of its islands.
Some say that the nuclear power plant is expensive . That argument is
moot. BNPP is already paid for If allowed to run, its electricity production costs .
would be cheaper by many pesos per kwh as compared to oil-fired thermal,
coal or natural gas plants. This statement would still be true even if we were
building a new plant today.
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plants in the Philippines today approach these efficiencies because our water
resources for hydro are of limited volume or flow rate.
GEOLOGICAL LOCATION
A very many nuclear plants and other nuclear facilities in the world are
located near geological fault lines. The BNPP is located on sound bedrock and
its' location is as good as that of any other comparable plant. It is beside a
fault line_ It does not straddle the fault line. There is a universe of difference in
these two statements.
Top geologists have evaluated Bataan and, with the exception of Mt.
Natib which is a dormant volcano whose last eruption was estimated to have
been between 11.3 to 18 thousand years ago (Cabato et. al. 2005) and which
is ten kilometers (10 km) from the BNPP, could Find no anomalies in locating
the plant there.
Even with an earthquake fault near the plant, the geologic study of
BNPP, as part of its Safety Analysis Review, has given a seismic movement
design of the plant at 0.4 G to 0. 6 G or about Intensity 8 and plus in layman's
language.
The BNPP has already been through several of such events. Most
notably, the earthquake of 1990, and the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. These
events have not caused any effect on the BNPP. Its soundness of location,
and its structure has therefore, already been tested in real life, not just in
theory.
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Even the U.S. - National nuclear waste repository being completed at
Yuca mountain Nevada is crisscrossed by faults and intrusions.
I have been infonned unofficially that the BNPP already has the site for
a second nuclear plant largely in place. This implies that subsequent
expansions of its capacity may be achieved at reduced costs. It would add
tremendously to the economies of scale for BNPP as opposed to the setting
up of a greenfield plant elsewhere in the country.
The BNPP site had been studied for eleven (11) years prior to the
decision to purchase it in the 70's. More recently, and again in the 90's, it has
also been evaluated and re-evaluated by the IAEA and has been found to be
sound in accordance with their guidelines .
The design of the BNPP is not unique. BNPP has three (3) sister plants
which were constructed simultaneously during the 70's. These are the Krsko
in Yugoslavia (which is Slovenia now), Kori 2 in South Korea and Angra 1 in
Brazil. These three power plants have been in operation for over twenty (20)
years now and, we have not heard any news that any one has incurred any
minor or major accident. All have impeccable safety records. Further, the
BNPP has cousin plants in the US. of earlier and later design with minor
variations . Such as: the Farley Plant in Alabama, Palo Verde Unit 1, 11, & 111 in
Arizona; Diablo Canyon and San Onofre Plants in California, Callaway Nuclear
Plant in Missouri, Indian Point Energy Center Units 2 & 3 I New York, Shearon
Harris Nuclear Power Plant in North Carolina . These plants have also had
impeccable safety records.
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By comparison, a coal fired power plants with an equivalent 620 MW to
BNPP would;
FRANCE
France today derives 80% of its electric power from nuclear, and a big
portion of the balance from hydro.
As such, France has one of the lowest Carbon footprints of any country
in the western world.
The French therefore, stand on moral high ground when harm to the
Earth and global warming issues are discussed. It gives them a clear
advantage in trade and economic negotiations with other countries of the
world.
It also gives the French, the cheapest electricity in Western Europe, and
one of the cheapest in the world.
THE GREENS
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If I were an economic power, would I promote nuclear in the developing
world? 1 don't think so. Subliminally at the very least, I would not nurture,
potential competitors to the wodd's other resources, which cheap power would
enable poorer peoples to consume. And so, I comment on the local influence
of the Green and other groups from abroad.
We have listened to the greens from abroad and have given them great
weight in determining our energy future. In the light of global warming, many of
them, such as Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, and also
members of other notable groups such as James Lovelock of GAIA, have now
changed their minds about nuclear_ These people now say that nuclear is the
only viable energy alternative if we are to preserve the Earth. Shouldn't we at
least think about why these people have had a change of heart?.
COST TO REHABILITATE
1 personally believe that the cost should be at about half of a new coal
firedpower plant. My reasoning for such a conclusion will be argued at
committee. I do recognize that there may be matters which l have not
considered in my estimation of these costs but 1 am sure that they will be
brought out in committee.
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I believe that the reasons that I have put forth are both substantial and
compelling . We have paid the price before as we pay it now, for our failure to
look well at viable alternatives .
Conditions are now right for us to take a second look, to search our
souls, to use our minds, and to let logic and hope, rather than fear and
ignorance, rule.
For these reasons and more, I hope that this bill wilt be vigorously
supported . Our people deserve cheap power. Our people deserve the
POWER, literally, to change and take charge of their lives.
The choice is ours. If we act now, we will still be ahead of the curve. If
we wait until everyone else jumps on the nuclear bandwagon, we will be too
late to reap low prices. We will be faced with shortages of manpower skilled in
the art of nuclear power generation, and shortages in the capacity to build
new nuclear power plants.
If we inventory all our available base load power, that which makes up
the foundation of our generating capacity, we will find that our natural gas
reserves are good for only twenty years after which, they will already be
reaching exhaustion. The only recourse will be to buy from the open market.
Natural gas is much more expensive than coal as far as electric power
generation is concerned.
As for coal, in several more years, its cost would be very prohibitive due
to the enormous expansion and industrialization of China and India where
most of the coal supplies for our coal fired plants come from. This is not to
mention the increasing cost of coal shipments which follow the price of oil .
They have already doubled and will increase further .
Given this scenario, where therefore, can we now get our base load
energy?
Not from the wind, nor from the sun, nor from the water. Simply because
they are not available on demand and are unsuitable as a base load source .
We are now at the same crossroads that we were in, at the start of the
first oil crisis in the early 70's and which ended in the mid-80's .
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This time however, it will be much worse as world demand for oil and
coal have skyrocketed, with many new and large players (China, India) vying
for the same limited resource.
There are many more detailed reasons and nuances to be debated and
discussed regarding this bill. Too many to mention in this explanatory note and
to be enumerated in the bill proper itself.
But, the meat of the matter is that BIVPP should be operated post haste
and that the country should adopt a progressive nuclear power and nuclear
energy policy .
The power to change our future for the better is now in our hands . It has
always been . God bless us.
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