Philippine Lawmaker Opposes PNPP Privatization, Citing Risk of Recommissioning Delays
Key Takeaways
- •Representative Mark O. Cojuangco opposes privatizing the PNPP and wants the facility to remain fully government-owned.
- •Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin previously said the government is considering selling the plant or taking an equity stake through a partnership with a private energy company.
- •The plant, completed in the 1980s, has never been fueled or operated, so successful recommissioning would make it the first nuclear power plant to run in the Philippines.
- •Cojuangco proposed that the government bid out the plant's construction, operation, and maintenance to private companies, which should first demonstrate their capability to run a nuclear facility.
- •He also pressed the government to release a concrete roadmap for recommissioning the plant to help secure nuclear power for the national grid.
Pangasinan 2nd District Representative Mark O. Cojuangco said he opposes the privatization of the PNPP, warning that a sale to a private developer could further delay the plant's recommissioning.
The PNPP, also referred to as the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), is the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines. Completed in the 1980s, it was never fueled or operated, meaning any successful recommissioning would make it the first nuclear power plant to run in the country.
"I am against the privatization of PNPP. For me, it should remain 100% government-owned. It should not be privatized because it belongs to us," Mr. Cojuangco said during a media forum organized by Alpas Pinas, a pro-nuclear advocacy group.
"We are concerned that this proposed direction could further delay action on the country's growing energy needs. As time passes, we are falling further behind," he added.
His remarks came in response to Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin's earlier statement that the government was considering the possible sale of the BNPP to a private developer. Another option under consideration is for the government to take an equity stake in the facility's development through a partnership with a private energy company. The ownership question now sits at the center of the debate over the plant's future.
Instead of selling the plant outright, Mr. Cojuangco said the government could bid out its construction, operation and maintenance to private-sector companies while retaining full ownership of the facility. He added that prospective contractors should first demonstrate their capability to operate a nuclear power plant.
"If we are afraid that the government is corrupt and incapable of operating the plant, then we should bid out its construction, operation and maintenance to the private sector and let them prove their capability to operate a nuclear power plant first," he said.
The lawmaker also pressed the government to lay out a concrete roadmap for recommissioning the facility.
"We call for a concrete plan from the government, so we can work toward the recommissioning of PNPP and secure nuclear power to strengthen the national grid," he said.
How the Department of Energy settles the ownership question, and whether it responds to Mr. Cojuangco's call for a recommissioning roadmap, are the next developments to watch in the effort to bring the plant online.
— Edg Adrian A. Eva
Source: BusinessWorld
