image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
The Bataan nuclear power station that has never produced even one kilowatt of electricity
A cold breeze blows to the west of Manila Bay. Go through many mango trees that line the islands in groups away from manila Go west about 100 kilometers.
In the sky, a seagull soars like aerial acrobatics. or lying on the massive concrete structure of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
This is Southeast Asia’s first nuclear power plant. completed in 1986 but never produced a single kilowatt of electricity because it has never been activated
Currently, more than 3 decades have passed since its completion. There is support from many sectors. who want to open a power plant to use again
high electricity bills and clearer threats from climate change have changed the attitudes of society around the world. Let’s start back to support nuclear power.
Not unlike the Philippines in developing countries where electricity is important But it is expensive. And resulting from the burning of fossil fuels which affects global warming.
But the key question is How difficult or easy is it to operate a nuclear power station that has not been used for 38 years?
ambitious or strange
a quiet morning Outside the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was destroyed by the sound of an approaching helicopter.
After a few minutes, Member of Parliament Mark Kojuango led a procession into the power station. Walk through a flashy mechanical room with a few lights. He pointed to the intricate pipes. and electrical conduit “Look at the quality of these lights. See how neatly it is laid out. “
He continued walking into the hallway. through vacuum chamber Enter the building where the nuclear reactor is located. The building is surrounded by 1.5 meter thick walls and the reactor is covered with 30 mm thick welded steel pipes.
“Touch these welded pipes,” he said, tapping his hand against the wall. “I challenge you to find such a good weld. anywhere in the Philippines If in the US The law requires x-ray inspection of 20% welds, but here we x-ray 100% so our buildings are of a higher quality than in the USA. “
image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
Inside the old Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
For the past 10 years, Kochuango has been continuously fighting to open this power plant. His efforts were seen as ambitious. But for some people that He has a strange idea.
“I don’t think the government will be able to reopen the plant,” said a foreign diplomat referring to the Bataan nuclear plant. “It was an accident waiting to happen,” he continued. after seeing the power plant
And who will fulfill Kojuango’s ambitions? The answer is President Ferdinand Bonbon Marcos Jr.
For President Marcos Jr., the power plant is a family business. It is a legacy that reflects what will happen. if his father is not overthrown
In the mid-1970s, as the world recovered from the global oil crisis of 1973, President Ferdinand Marcos decided to bring nuclear power to the Philippines.
if successful the Philippines will become one of the nations of Asia. have nuclear power as well as Japan and South Korea.
Father Marcos ordered the US Westinghouse Company to build 2 reactors above the Bataan Peninsula. At the end of Manila Bay
By the end of 1985, the first reactor was completed. and ready to bring nuclear fuel into the container
image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
President Marcos Jr. hopes to get the work done.
But in February of the following year, pressure was put on Marcos, the elder, to step down. of a wave of more than 2 million protesters gathered in the streets of Manila demanding an end to his dictatorship
Worse yet, eight weeks after the accident at a nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union, the world was introduced to a word that has not been forgotten to this day: Chernobyl.
What happened shattered the plan to include nuclear fuel in the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. postponed indefinitely
Flash back to the 1970s
inside the power plant The main control room is old and retro. as if in a museum
The circuit boards on the wall are filled with antique analog meters. that when you look down You will see a control panel full of old black switches.
Kochuango raised his hand to brush off his disapproval. “People have been using analogue cars and motorbikes for a long time. But I want you to see that old reactor It counted from energy production. But this reactor has never been used, so it’s brand new.”
image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
A reporter from the BBC described this as being in a museum
He did not deny that many systems in the power plant need to be improved. which takes time and money But it revealed that Cape Co, or South Korea’s nuclear power plant operator, which manages a similar power plant in Busan planned to renovate the Bataan Power Plant to look modern at a cost of about 1,500 million dollars the US or more than 51,400 million baht
A single reactor of a power station (because the proposed second reactor has not been built) with a capacity of 620 megawatts of electricity per year That is only about half of similar nuclear power stations in other countries.
Kojuango emphasized that Bata was the first non-nuclear power plant to come into operation. Because a similar case already happened in Tennessee, the state of Watts Bar II in the United States, which began construction in 1973, even before the Bataan factory. But it was kept unused for decades until in 2009, the US government completed the construction.
“In 2016, it became America’s newest powerhouse. If such a case can be made Why can’t ours do it?” he asked.
For President Marcos Jr., this may be the best opportunity. to revive his father’s dream not only that The war in Ukraine has hit electricity prices around the world to the point of high prices. The Philippines were also hit hard.
Jumping over to the Philippine Institute of Nuclear Research, Dr. Carlos Arcilla refers to a pie chart describing the Philippines’ energy resources. “You can see that 50% is coal and 90% of the coal we import comes from Indonesia.”
The Philippines is in a small natural gas field. But natural gas is depleting. Electricity prices have doubled in the last 12 months. Until the country has to rely on fossil fuels like never before.
“On average, Filipinos pay 10% of their income for electricity,” said Dr. Arzilla, adding that the cost of electricity will increase even more.
“The Sleeping Monster”
The high cost of electricity affects the poor the most. You don’t have to walk far from Metro Manila. (Manila metropolitan area) to find poor communities. Also known as Barangay.
You will see empty spaces across the city being encroached upon and transformed into habitats. With a house made from scrap wood and zinc
barangay community Not far from Dr Azilla’s office, we meet Marilo Caliga, a 47-year-old mother of six who works part-time as a cleaner in a government office. Her expression was clearly tired.
image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
Poor people have been hit hard by rising electricity bills.
“I haven’t paid my electricity bill for three months,” he said. “Buy food. I have no money left.”
she took a piece of paper This was the last reminder from the power company to pay her outstanding electricity bills of about 3,500 baht, she said. The cost of electricity is twice as expensive as the previous year.
“If I don’t pay my electricity bill this week, They will cut me off. I might need to borrow money.”
Even the poor in the Philippines suffer from high electricity bills. But the attempt to open the Bataan power plant in the hope of reducing electricity bills back in the face of resistance
Activists who oppose nuclear power say Improving the power station to return to operation will take many years And rarely help people like Kalika at all The government should invest money in solar or wind energy. which is cheaper and easier to build
“If the government plans to open the power plant It may have to wait until 2040 and it will help generate 2.5% of the Filipinos’ electricity needs. So why are you holding on?” said Derek Kabe, leader of the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement.
She continued: a generation of her parents fought to stop this power plant from running in the 1980s, and today, she is ready for it too.
“We will not let the monster live again,” she said, “the sleeping monster we call it. and I could not wake him.”
image source, BBC/VIRMA SIMONETTE
Derek Kabe is as determined to oppose this nuclear power plant as her parents did.
people who oppose nuclear power plants A comparison between the Philippines and Japan A comparison of the Bataan Power Plant and the Fukushima Power Plant which was severely damaged by the 2011 tsunami
The Philippines and Japan They are located above the ring of fire. The Philippines itself has 24 active volcanoes and is prone to frequent earthquakes. In addition, random risks from the tsunami.
But Kojuanko, who had traveled to Fukushima in Japan and studied the disaster that happened Don’t seem concerned about it.
“Before the Fukushima event I dare not say If there was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, we would go through it, but now I have proof. Our factory is located 18 meters above sea level. “
“If there was a high tsunami like the one faced by Fukushima, Our factory will not even get wet, so if this factory is in Fukushima, nothing will happen.”
About 60% of Filipinos say they support nuclear power and see no scientific reason to stop this aging 1970s plant from producing electricity one day.
The biggest obstacle is politics. in the Philippines The president has a term of six years and can only serve once. To Kochuango, if you want to push this forward, you have to do it now. because history repeats itself again
“At that time, we wanted to be free of fossil fuels… Now, 2023, we are facing another energy crisis. And we have the president of the Marcos family. come and sit in the office again.”
Thailand needs nuclear power?
Thailand is considering nuclear power generation as well.
Krungthep Turakij reported on March 26 that Mr. Wattanapong Kurovat, director of the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), Ministry of Energy, said that he has long talked with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to study nuclear power generation technology . But it will not be included in the national energy plan. is being prepared
The nuclear power plant will be another offer he is ready to choose from. Initially, he will propose a sub-committee of the PDP, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy. Approved before going to the public hearing first.
“Now the cabinet is operating. If you cannot decide We can introduce the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy to acknowledge. to speed up the public hearing during the months of May-June 2023 to prepare to present the new Minister of Energy”
“EPPO has always intended to make a plan. Let’s move forward with the intention of the country’s carbon neutral goals. It is expected that the National Energy Plan will be completed by the middle of 2023,” said Mr Wattanapong.
