Greenpeace slams nuclear energy proposal, hits new coal plant
AN official of Greenpeace Philippines slammed a pending proposal of former Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco seeking the restoration and rehabilitation of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) and eventually the “nuclearization” of the whole country.
Mr. Cojuangco filed a bill seeking the revival of the BNPP plan of the Marcos regime in the 15th Congress and when he finished his term, his wife Rep. Kimi Cojuangco re-filed it in the 16th Congress.
Mr. Cojuangco is now running for governor of Pangasinan while Mrs. Cojuangco is running for reelection for a third and final term. Both still actively promote nuclear energy as the only means to bring down the high costs of electricity in the country.
Nadarev Sano, Greenpeace Philippines executive director, in a talk to local newsmen, promptly denounced the proposal, saying “you don’t solve an environmental problem with another environmental problem”.
He maintained that nuclear power is a very dangerous source of energy and said his group will not allow the Filipinos to risk their lives.
Sano and leaders of the fishing sector held a press conference in Dagupan to lend their voice to some environmental concerns affecting the seas that they want the incoming administration to address.
“You know that after the Fukushima meltdown incident in Japan, it is very, very clear that the whole world is not safe from nuclear energy,” Sano said.
He said Japan has the most advanced safety enforcement protocol in the world, but still suffered from a nuclear disaster of such proportion whose effects can still be felt even after 100 years.
The Philippines, being inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, rocked often by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, he said would be in much greater danger if it allows nuclear energy knowing the weak enforcement capability of government compared to Japan.
At the same, he said Greenpeace is opposed to the putting up of a new 600-megawatt coal fired power plant in Sual which in addition to the existing 1,200 megawatt Sual Coal-fired power plant in Barangay Baquioen, Sual.
He said the whole world is already rejecting coal plants in favor of renewable sources of energy such as hydro, wind, biomass and solar.
Greenpeace also heavily criticized the policy of government cutting down aged trees along many highways in Pangasinan to give way to widening of roads. (Leonardo Micua)
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