Rep. Cojuangco defends nuclear plant proposal
NOTHING POLITICAL ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
CALASIAO–It’s political, not technical.
This was the explanation given by Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco as he defended his stance promoting the use of nuclear energy in the country and more recently, the controversial provincial board’s resolution opening Pangasinan to hosting nuclear power plants, which he prompted.
In a press conference here on February 22, Cojuangco said the resistance to the nuclear option, as an energy source is just a matter of wrong perception about the technology and not the technology itself.
He thanked members of the provincial board of Pangasinan for being “open-minded” on the issue of nuclear plants.
Cojuangco, whose proposed bill called for the reactivation of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was not taken up in the last Congress, said the resolution means a lot to him as this serves as an “ice-breaker” for a discussion on the nuclear option in the Philippines.
Cojuangco said other provinces like Cebu are actually already considering hosting a nuclear plant as well but their officials are still held back by an “NIMB” (“not in my own backyard”) mentality.
He noted that the provincial board’s resolution drew flak from various sectors not just for the nuclear plant issue but the apparent haste with which it was passed.
It was Cojuangco who asked the provincial board to pass the resolution after learning that the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) is inviting international tenders to bid for its two nuclear plants.
Cojuangco said he already asked KEDO to give a bonus to Pangasinan in the form of reduced electricity cost if the two nuclear power plants are relocated in the province.
He pointed out that such a discount was a concession that the province failed to negotiate with the Sual Coal-fired Power Plant and the San Roque Multi-purpose Dam.
If the cost of electricity in Pangasinan is cheaper than in any part of the country, he said, “I am sure that investors will come and do business here.”
Cojuangco also insisted that nuclear energy is the “safest technology on earth”.
He maintained that all coal plants in the Philippines are actually more radioactive than a nuclear plant.
Cojuangco, who is completing the maximum three terms in Congress this year and is not running for any position in the May 10 election, said he will carry on with his advocacy for nuclear energy even when he steps out of public office.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
