nuclear-news

Nuclear power not cost effective for the Philippines

Nuclear power deemed not a viable option for Mindanao, BusinessWorld, 13 Feb 2011, DESPITE THE NEED to look beyond hydro power as a source of electricity for Mindanao, there is just not enough demand on the island to justify the cost of building a nuclear plant there, the top executive of a major power producer told reporters late last week.“I could be wrong, but because of the scale, the amount [sic], the size you have to build, it’s very hard to build it in Mindanao,” said Erramon I. Aboitiz, president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Power Corp., when asked if nuclear power plants would be a viable source of electricity for the power-hungry island…..The Department of Energy itself has been preparing an Association of Southeast Asian Nations nuclear safety standard study, even as the government is deciding on what to do with the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).Korean Power Co., which had conducted a feasibility study on reviving the BNPP, placed the total cost of refurbishing that facility at $1 billion.

“You know how much [a] nuclear plant costs right now — $6 million to $8 million a MW, Mr. Aboitiz said.

BusinessWorld Online Edition |Nuclear power deemed not a viable option for Mindanao

February 15, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Philippines