Gatchalian wants probe into DOE's nuclear energy program

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is calling for an inquiry into the status of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization, along with its proposal to have a nuclear power program in the country.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, has filed Proposed Senate Resolution 162, where he pointed out that there should be a "comprehensive, transparent, and public discussion" on a national nuclear program, taking into consideration its social, economic, environmental and technical effects as well as its requirements.

According to Gatchalian, the development of a national nuclear power program requires three phases, each marked by a milestone, and the completion of 19 infrastructure requirements which need specific actions during each of the phases as indicated in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power.

“The Philippines is currently completing Phase One, which commenced when the DOE issued Department Order No. D.O. 2016-10-0013 last 2016, creating a body called the Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO) tasked with exploring the development and inclusion of nuclear energy in the country’s electric power supply,” he said.

Phase Two, meanwhile, warrants the preparation for the contracting and construction of a nuclear power plan after crafting a policy decision, marked by an invitation to bid or negotiate a contract for the power plant, Gatchalian said.

On the other hand, Phase Three lays out the activities needed to implement the first nuclear power plant, commenced by the commissioning and operation of such activities, he added.

“The NEPIO has transmitted a communication to the Office of the President, dated April 16,  2018, containing the following recommendations: (1) Approval of a National Position to Embark on a Nuclear Power Program (NPP); (2) Issuance of an Executive Order in relation thereto; and (3) Filing and/or certification as urgent existing bills providing for a nuclear regulatory and legal framework,” he added.

Gatchalian said IAEA officials visited that country in February last year to discuss with the DOE and the Department of Science and Technology the development of nuclear power as part of the country's power mix.

The same officials visited the country again last December to complete an eight-day Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) that sought to assess the country's readiness to adopt nuclear power.

Following the review, the INIR Mission Report was created, containing specific recommendations and suggestions as well as identified good practices of the Philippine government in the introduction of nuclear power in the country.

The DOE, however, has not publicized these proposals and the IAEA's INIR Mission Report, not even to Congress, Gatchalian said.

The senator urged an inquiry into the country's nuclear energy program after Russian and Philippine officials signed a Memorandum of Intent “to jointly explore the prospects of cooperation in the construction of nuclear power plants in the Philippines."

The said agreement was signed during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Moscow, Russia last week.

It was Russia which proposed to build a floating nuclear power plant in the country. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News