South Korea interested in Bataan Nuclear Power Plant joint study –envoy

South Korea was interested in participating in a joint feasibility study on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, newly-designated Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-hwa said on Monday.

As he submitted his credentials to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Lee mentioned that a proposal for a study on the BNPP was already submitted.

"We presented, submitted our proposal for joint feasibility study,” he said, reiterating South Korea's commitment to energy cooperation with the Philippines.

During his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos expressed his desire to adopt nuclear energy as part of the country’s power mix, saying the country’s strategy has to be rethought.

The BNPP was a project of Marcos' father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., which has been mothballed for more than three decades.

In 1976, Marcos Sr. ordered the construction of the $2.3-billion BNPP, but it was shelved after three years due to safety concerns.

The Duterte administration had pegged the cost of reviving the BNPP at around $1 billion. — DVM, GMA Integrated News