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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lacson open to safe atomic energy option

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Given the rising prices of oil and gas in the global market and the volatile output of some renewable energy sources, Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he is open to considering safe atomic power as a viable option.

Lacson said for as long as safety measures are put in place, safe and clean atomic energy can be an option under his future-proof economic strategy for the country.

“Nuclear? Yes. Provided all the safety measures are in place, then, why not? Because other countries are into nuclear power plants. We should take a second look at this opportunity to reopen provided all the safety measures are in place. That is my position,” he said.

He said the operation of nuclear power plants in the future, as seen in other countries, will address potential surges in electricity demand by households and industries while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Despite earning mixed reviews, if not generally negative responses, among stakeholders over the years, nuclear energy, Lacson said, remains a viable option to generate maximum electricity at relatively lower cost to consumers.

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Unlike coal-based power plants and other non-renewable energy sources, he said nuclear reactors do not pollute the air or emit greenhouse gases.

However, they produce extremely toxic radioactive waste materials in the process that are challenging to manage and contain, Lacson said.

“This is a complicated problem because there are dangers, there are risks involved. We don’t have the technical expertise to analyze all these, and we should learn from the mistakes of other countries,” he added.

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the aggregate power generation output from all operational plants in the country fell by four percent to reach 101.8 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2020 amid a pandemic-induced recession that resulted in lower economy-wide electricity demand.

Coal power plants contributed more than half of those output at 57.2 percent (58.2 TWh), followed by natural gas at 19.2 percent (19.5 TWh), geothermal at 10.6 percent (10.8 TWh), and hydropower at 7.1 percent (7.2 TWh).

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