Senatorial aspirant and Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero said he is in favor of pursuing all options in developing a long-term energy agenda to ensure that the country gets the best suitable, sustainable and safest source of power that is responsive to the future energy landscape of the Philippines.
Escudero told a senatorial forum Sunday night that tapping all possible power sources, including nuclear energy, should be considered to attain energy sufficiency and security, but without compromising public safety and adding financial burden to the Filipino people who will ultimately shoulder the cost.
“Neutral ako sa teknolohiya. Technology neutral pero ang importante lamang na ligtas ito, kayang bayaran ang sambayanang Pilipino at makakatugon sa problema, sa krisis, enerhiya ng ating bansa,” Escudero pointed out, when asked if he favored the revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).
The veteran legislator, however, said the use nuclear energy should be not be limited to the existing mothballed BNPP, as other options may be explored, including building a new facility if it is found to be safe and beneficial to people.
“Kailangan ang opinyon ng eksperto kung mas maganda nga bang magtayo ng bago o i-rehabilitate pa yung nakatayong Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Alin ba ang mas mura? Alin ba ang mas ligtas? Alin ba ang mas abot-kaya para sa ating mga kababayan?” Escudero raised.
“Hindi natin dapat limitahan sa partikular na opinyon o diskriminasyon ang puwedeng pagkukunan natin ng kuryente. Nitong nagdaang limang taon walang dagdag na kapasidad sa generating capacity ng bansa,” he stressed.
The failure of the government to build power plants and add new generating capacity to the grid for half a decade is a major contributor to the current state of the country’s energy situation, Escudero lamented.
“Pasalamat nga tayo dahil mahina pa ang takbo ng ating ekonomiya dahil sa pandemya. Pero sa unti-unting pagbubukas ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas at ng mundo, sa unti-unting paggulong ng ekonomiya pagkatapos ng pandemya, darating ang panahon na mangangailangan tayo ng higit pa sa kuryenteng mayroon tayo ngayon,” he said.
Data from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed that power consumption across the country dropped by 4.04% to 101,756 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2020, largely due to the Luzon-wide lockdown that shut down business operations in the region. In contrast, residential consumption jumped to 34,292 GWh from 2019’s 30,552 GWh as most were forced to stay at home.
With the reopening of the economy and more sectors back in business, the DOE expects a higher demand for electricity and oil this year.
Escudero said the next administration should also prepare a solid backup plan with the projected depletion of the Malampaya gas field off Palawan in 2027 to avert an energy crisis. Malampaya is the country’s lone significant source of oil and gas supply, which provides 30 percent of the power requirement of Luzon, or 20 percent of the country’s total electricity requirement.
“Umaabot ng apat hanggang limang taon mula mag-financial cost bago matapos ang isang planta na magbibigay sa atin ng bagong energy source. Kaya ngayon pa lamang kung ang tinatayang shortage ay mangyayari sa taong 2027, ang bagong pangulo ay dapat tutukan ang pagkakaroon ng mga bagong planta upang sa gayon bago pa man dumating ang pagkukulang ng kuryente ay mayroon na tayong pagkukunan ng panibagong source,” Escudero said.