Republic ofthe Philippines

iouse of Representatives
Quezon City, 9detro Man i&

:OURTEENTH CONGRESS

Second Regular Session

ECTION 1 . Title - This Act shall be known as the "Bataan Nuclea

Power Plant Re-Commissioning Act of 2008 ."

2- Declaration qf Policy - Section 16, Article I I of th

Constitution provides that: "The State shall protect, and
the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm an
harmony of natur

Section 8, Article 11 further provides that: "The Philippines, consistent

with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from ar
weapons in its territory.

Therefore, it is hereby the declared policy of the State to develop

nuclear energy as a distinct and substantial Dart of the country's enemy mix.

Such a policy is intended as pro active action in addressing the ever

worsening global warming and carbon emissions issue and the possible
ctions against the use of carbon based fuels which are likely to occur in the
future.
 Such a policy is also pro active in addressing the energy sources
necessary in the coming "clean" hydrogen economy.

Last importantly, such a policy will partially but substantially address,

the three Gigawatt shortfall in the nation's electric generating capacity
projected to happen before the year 2012 .

SECTION 3. Mandate & Authority to Re-commission - It is hereby

mandated and authorized that the immediate re-commissioning and
commercial operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) shall be
undertaken by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), in consonance
with its mandate under R . A. 6395, series of 1971 . This vested mandate and
authority shall be under the direct supervision and control by the Department
of energy and regulations and safeguards by the Philippine Nuclear Research
Institute (PNRI), or the subsequent governmental agency mandated to
oversee the licensing and regulations of a nuclear power plant. The
NAPOCOR may spin-off portions of its organization which are presently
overseeing the preservation and maintenance of BNPP, its engineering and
technical, and administrative staff to form a government owned corporation to
further hasten and streamline the re-commissioning process of the nuclear
plant.

SECTION 4. HAuTan, over Mechanical & Civil Portions including the

Nuclear Steam SuppQ System QWSS) aid AWlanne of Plant Equipment
(BOP) - The NAPOCOR, after thorough assessment, evaluation,
maintenance, repair, replacements, rehabilitation or upgrades, necessary
the Mechanical & Civil Portions including the Nuclear steam Supp
(NSSS) and Balance of Plant Equipment (130P) shall warrant that th
conforms to the Philippine nuclear industry state of the art as of July 1, 1986.
Provided, that, it will also retain and/or include modifications to allow all US
Nuclear Regulatory Commission rulings regarding operating guideline
revisions pertinent to "the Three Mile Island" nuclear accident which occurred
on hatch 28, 1979- And subsequent operating guideline revisions viz the
ties or model of nuclear plants to which the BNPP belongs, where
licable.

SECTION 5. 10mmilty over Instrumentation trot

Equipment - The existing main instrument and control uipment may
scrapped, selectively whole as needed- The 0CO
ubsequent government ration shall also ensure that nstrur
& C) po electronic controls, sensors, and data
common n systems (servo Ives and actuators - non-mechanical) are
modernized according to the latest state of the art in the nuclear power
industry as of the date at which this Act shall take into effect. Digital systems
should be employed similar to the upgrades being implemented by old nuclear
plants implementing improvements of its I & C systems, but only applicable to
the series or model of nuclear plants to which the BNPP belongs, where
applicable_ Although modern, such systems must also be mature, stable, and
well accepted (in prior mainstream use) by the western nuclear power industry.

Should there be a delay in the implementation of this Act, then, in no

case shall any new I & C equipment be installed that will be greater than or
equal to ten (10) calendar years into its product life cycle, i_e. the commercial
launching date of the product. The reckoning date for these products age will
be computed from the date of ire-commissioning of the BNPP_

Such upgrades in the I & C equipment should already include all

revisions and guidelines pertinent to the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl
accidents, but only applicable to the series or model of nuclear plants to which
the BNPP belongs, where applicable .

othing in this section shall be interpreted as giving the NAPOCOR or

the subsequent government corporation the blanket authority to implement,
apply or institute physical changes or other operating guidelines not otherwise
applicable to the series or model of nuclear plants to which the BNPP belongs.

SECTION 6. Hiring of Technical Personnel - Upon the enactment of

this Act, the NAPOCOR or the subsequent government corporation shall
forthwith hire, recruit, anchor engage the services of the necessary skilled
manpower for the management and operation of all the technical aspects of
the plant.

For the first ten years of operation, the Philippine nationality

requirements for the filling up of the technical, supervisory and managerial
positions required by the plant is hereby waived_

SECTION 7. Development of Local Skilled Manpower - The

NAPOCOR or the subsequent government corporation shall implement a
program for training, cultivating and developing a pool of necessary 'local
skilled manpower for the management and operation of all the technical
aspects of the plant and for a fixture nuclear power industry.

The University of the Philippines is hereby mandated to offer courses in

nuclear engineering and nuclear plant operation_
 A separate budget for hands on training, simulator training and/or further
academic training abroad of operating personnel shall be allocated,
chargeable against government revenues generated from all power generating
and power distribution entities, and shall be of a magnitude that is a
substantial percentage if not equal to the BNPP manpower budget.

SECTION 8. CompensationlSalary Rates - The state is authorized and

empowered to pay competitive rates which is defined as the average between
the United States, Canadian (denominated in US Dollar) and France
(denominated in Euro) rates for technical personnel in managerial and
supervisory positions, and half of the average rate of the United States,
Canadian (denominated in US Dollar) and France (denominated in Euro) rates
for technical non-supervisory positions.

SECTION 9. AllQeations f& disposal jr Spent Fuel and

Decommissioning cy"Afe jBBTNVPPIP -in the operation of the plant, the NAPOCOR
or the subsequent government corporation shall allocate as a sinking fund,
U .S. 00.1-00.2/kwh to cover the expenses for the future decommissioning of
the plant at the end of its operational life. NAPOCOR or the subsequent
government corporation shall also allocate U .S. 00 .1/Kwh for costs of
radioactive waste disposal and spent fuel disposal program of BNPP.

Upon collection of fees for its product, the BNPP shall turn over the said
funds to the rational Treasury on a monthly basis. The said fund shall then be
converted at the first day of every month into hard currency, which is defined
as a fifty percent (50%) mix of U.S . Dollars and Euro.

These funds shall be under the custody of the Treasurer of the

Philippines .

Disbursement and fund management shall be governed by

implementing guidelines to be agreed upon by DOE, NAPOCOR or the
subsequent government corporation, PNRI and the Department of Finance.
These institutions will exert their utmost effort to ensure that the value of the
fund is not eroded by inflation. These institutions shall also ensure that the
funds earn at least the market rates of interest in dollar and auto currencies,
if not better.

The disposal of radioactive wastes may be through a local scheme to be

worked out by Congress or, through an IAEA recognized re-processor. The
account for the funds shall be called: The BNPP Spent Fuel Disposal Fund
(BSFDF) . The BSFDF can only be utilized for final disposition of spent fuel.

The account for the funds set aside for the purpose of decommissioning
the plant and making safe the plant site at the end of its operating or physical
lifetime of forty years shall be called: The BNPP End of Life Decommissioning
Fund (BELDF)-

In the event that the BELDF and the BSFDF will have surpluses after
the above conditions are met, these funds shall be used to further develop the
nuclear power Ind

SECTION 10. Re-use of Reprocessed Fuel - Reprocessed Fuel may

be reused by the BNPP : Provided, That in such a case, the BNPP Spent Fuel
Disposal Fund shall not be utilized.

ION 11 . Deflinifion & Extension of Operational Lifetime - The

operational lifetime of the BNPP shall be defined as forty (40) years from the
date of its commercial operation .

tensions of the Aefined operational lifetime of the BNPP may be

granted by the PNRI or the subsequent governmental agency tasked
perform the licensing and regulations of nuclear power plants in the country at
the time of application for the extension of its operational lifetime, Provided,
That the duration of the extended operational lifetime does not exceed twenty
(2{l) years per extension .

Such an extension of BNPP's commercial life is to be determined by the

technical realities of the day, and the prior experience of license extensi
similar plants operated in Canada, the U .S. and France .

SECTION 12. Emergency Evacuation Man - Th

establish an emergency evacuation plan within the pres
around the plant in accordance with the regulatory requirements of PN

SECTION 13. Cost of Rehabilitation - The NAPOCOR shall endeavor

to complete this mandate at a cost that is substantially below one hall
cost of a brand new coal fired power plant of equal capacity_ no
circumstances shall the cost exceed the price of a brand new coal fired power
plant of equivalent power generating capacity.

rya Re-commissioning - The President

DOE or a subsequent agency which may be created by the ire
Congress is hereby given the authority to determine and decide
which the mandate of this pct is to be attained, as long as
-ovided for in the preceding sections are met. Such mode
administration, and/or by contract to rehabilitate but not to operate.
11-- )
 SECTION ~15' and Regulations - The Secretary of
Energy, President of f~~ `
.~~~ ^ ^ .

and the Director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, shall promulgate
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this

Oversight (W%utittee Oversight CommitteEe

hereby created which shall be composed of Chairmen of the Committees on
Energy _. -~~ Senate and ~~~ .~~~s~ ~. Representatives ~~,.~ ,o~. (4) additional
"---'- from each' "_--- ~~
-- ~~
-- designated ~~ -~~~~~~~ President ~~~
by ~~~ ~~m~~ ~-`~ ~~
~`~
_~_____. of ~~
_~ __ House ~~
o___ _ . Representatives, respectively . ~~e Oversight
Committee monitor and ensure the proper implementation of this Act.

SECTION 17. Appropriations _ The amount necessary for the iritil

implementation of this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the
Department of Energy under the current General Appropriations Act, or
appropriated and covered by NAPOCOR or subsequent government
corporation in its annul budget. Thsm~^su00as may be necessary
for its full implementation shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act as a distinct and separate item.

SECTION 18 . If for any reason, any section or

provision of this Act is declared to be unconstitutional, the other sections or
provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full
torce and

__SECTION ~~~-
-__ Repealing
__-_~~ _-____ ._~Q~.decrees,
laws, executive
-__-__ ._`
'
rules and regulations, and other ances, or any part thereof, are
'
with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

ON 20. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
'
days from the date cof its publication at least two (2) newspapers of general
-
circulation,

Approved,
 Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

Second Regular Session

4631
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Hon . Mark O. Cojuangco

Explanatory Note

Global Warming is now mankind's greatest threat and greatest

challenge .

The status and outlook of humanity's conventional energy resources

and its ever increasing negative interaction with our planet's environment,
$140 per barrel of oil, P10/kwh electricity, and the ever increasing
manifestations of global warming, compel us as responsible leaders into
making important and revolutionary decisions today.

These decisions affect the future viability and empowerment of our

people to be masters of their destiny .

All these, compel us to look dispassionately at the options available to

us in bringing the conflicting and opposing necessities and realities of; cheaper
and more abundant energy and, a cleaner, more healthful, and non-earth
damaging environment .

I believe strongly that these necessities and realities do not have to be

conflicting and opposing .

Indeed, clean power, cheap power are words or phrases that, at first
glance, seem to be oxymoronic.

But, can such phrases be true?

The Philippines has an asset, which has been paid for by society many
times over, its original price or worth.

Certain sectors will claim it is so because of fraud, certain sectors

otherwise and for other reasons.
 To be sure, the reason why this asset came into being, and into disuse
are, in my humble opinion, and in two words; NEED, and POLITICS .

Whatever the reasons, the bottom line- is that this asset is now a part of
the patrimony of the nation . It can forever be, a useless hulk or, it can be a
savior of our energy situation and, a tipping point in our national outlook as far
as energy and prosperity are concerned :

I am referring of course, to the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

(BNPP)° 620 megawatts of clean, reliable and `cheap power, just waiting to
happen

I realize that many of you are not convinced, that many. of our- people
are not convinced. And also, that many, have very legitimate anxieties,
apprehensions and fears about the possibility of the Philippines adopting
nuclear power as an alternative source of energy, let alone to commission and
run the BNPP as a viable and quick solution to our energy problems.

And so, I file this bill, a bill which seeks to make it a law, that our
government do all it can to make the BNPP a safe, clean, and functional
nuclear power plant.

At the very least, it is my opinion and hope that filing this bill will start or
spark a national debate on the merits and demerits of nuclear power as a
viable energy option . It will therefore be the means to a more informed public
choice on the future of nuclear power in this country.

But let me state that I believe it is in the country's best interests that the
BNPP be operated. It is also my belief that the nuclear power option is still the
best choice that the country can make to balance the supposedly conflicting
needs of abundant power (energy), cheap power (energy), clean and
harmless energy (power), for future and new power plants.

Let me also state the following facts, although not exhaustive, in an

effort to inform :

------------------------- ---------------------------------------

ELECTRIC POWER AVAILABILITY

It is a recognized fact that power consumption is a leading indicator of a

country's propensity to progress or egress. Electricity consumption is
considered to be a direct indicator of life expectancy, quality of `life and ;
prosperity specially in developing countries.
 It is a national projection and fact that we will need an additional three
(3) Gigawatts (3,000 megawatts) of base load capacity by the year 2012 . To
meet that need, and since it .takes three to five years to build new plants,
nuclear or otherwise, we need to be building the capacity TODAY, or face
brownouts as we have' in the past.

STATISTICS :
In the U.S., statistically, 30, 000 plus deaths occur every year which are
directly attributable to the emissions of conventional power sources. Zero (0)
deaths per year are attributable to nuclear power generation . Even the
accident at Three Mile Island on March 28,1979, which is considered to be
one of most serious accident ever in the history of nuclear power plant
operations, caused zero injuries and zero deaths. This was the -same accident
which caused the suspension and downturn of the nuclear power industry in
the U.S., until recent times.
The deaths which occur every single year and which are attributable to
conventional power are greater in magnitude to the deaths attributable to the
one time event of Chernobyl. And yet, they are not sensational so as to be
covered in the news.

In sum, for the last fifty plus years of Commercial Nuclear Power in the
U.S., nuclear power, considering Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, has been
and is, the- safest and most reliable form of electric power generation ever
invented by man.

SHARED RISK:

Without operating BNPP, we already share in the nuclear risk without

sharing in any of its benefits. There are man nuclear plants surrounding the
Philippines, and theme are nuclear vessels plying the waters around us.

Six (6) in Taiwan, Twenty (20) in South Korea, Eleven (11) in China,
Fifty Five (55) in Japan. With the on-going renaissance of the nuclear power
industry, these countries have nuclear plants either under construction or in
the process of being purchased. A total of eighty- one (81) additional units will
come on line in' the next few years- Aside from this, two of our very near
neighbors, Vietnam and Indonesia have intentions to build six (6) units for their
power needs. Malaysia and Thailand are both revisiting their nuclear options.
 The developed world, has realized more and more acutely, the impact of
fossil fuel burning, most specially of coal, and C02 emissions on global
warming. They have come up with a system in the Tokyo Protocol by which
the rich countries pay poorer ones a fee, to reduce or forego, carbon
emissions .

More and more, the peoples of the world are beginning to perceive that
burning coal and fossil fuels for energy is akin to pumping out nature's septic
tanks which took billions ofyears for nature and life to deposit. And thereafter,
spreading all the filth around.

And so, today we see "Carbon Credits" being traded as a means to

mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

But, who is not to say that tomorrow, if the situation becomes more
critical or urgent, the more developed countries may seek to ban, or impose
sanctions, or duties on carbon emissions?

Without the technical alternative of nuclear, where will we be, then?

What do we do then?

We can earn respectability in the international community by lowering

our carbon footprint today. We can do this by running BNPP.

HYDROGEN:

Today, commercial hydrogen comes from fossil sources .

The coming age in mobile energy consumption, will be the age of, THE
HYDROGEN ECONOMY 0

It will be an age wherein hydrogen will come from non-fossil sources, by

mandate, more than by market forces and by necessity, more than by caprice.
vehicle
Hydrogen, as a or vessel for energy transmission by direct
hydrogen combustion. Or, by the use of hydrogen to synthesizel7iquefylgasify
carbon
andlor extend existing (fossil) and/or renewable carbon (biomes)
sources. Or, by the direct conversion of hydrogen into electricity via fuel cell
technology.

Hydrogen, will become the mobile fuel of choice.

This age will usher in pollution free power for mobile applications, i.e.,
cars, buses, trucks, etc.
 When that age comes, where will we get our hydrogen from? Definitely
not from fossil sources. That would be a self defeating exercise. By then, will
we have the necessary nuclear infrastructure and capacity in place to enable
us to 'generate the hydrogen that we will need to be participants in that new -
age? Or, will we again, be left behind?

To be truly ready' to enter and be a participant in the corning hydrogen'

economy, we need a clean, cheap and reliable source of nuclear electric
power to generate the hydrogen form non fossil sources. Running the BNPP
will put us on that path.

NUCLEAR FUEL & THE ALTERNATIVES

Traditionally, the nuclear power industry has relied on Uranium for its
fuel. There is enough Uranium in the world to last for many centuries at even
increased rates ofconsumption.

There is also, another as yet under-exploited source for nuclear fuel. It

is he element, Thorium : It is four times more abundant than Uranium in the
Earth, and it increases the total source of fissile material by more than 400%.

This implies that energy resources for nuclear power generation are in
great abundance, so as to be considered limitless on our time horizons, even if
we consider our grandchildren's grandchildren's grandchildren's lifetimes.

CAPACITY AND COST

The BNPP, at 620 MW of power, could have been enough to power the
islands of the Visayas which are now starting to experience rotating brownouts
in some of its islands.

If made to operate, it would meet twenty percent (20%) of our expected

shortfall of three (3) Gigawatts by 2012. This is not a small matter;

Some say that the nuclear power plant is expensive . That argument is
moot. BNPP is already paid for If allowed to run, its electricity production costs .
would be cheaper by many pesos per kwh as compared to oil-fired thermal,
coal or natural gas plants. This statement would still be true even if we were
building a new plant today.

Nuclear Power is the cheapest form of electric power generation if you

exclude the best hydra electric plants to which it is about equal. No hydro

Pages of 11
plants in the Philippines today approach these efficiencies because our water
resources for hydro are of limited volume or flow rate.

The average generating cost of the industry in the U. S. is U. S. ¢ 1. 66 or

P0. 73lkwh at P43 to a dollar rate. This cost includes waste disposal at U.S.
¢0.1/kwh and decommissioning at U.S. . ¢0.1 - ¢0.2 lkwh (source: World
Nuclear Association) . Furthermore, the uptime reliability of nuclear power is
upwards of ninety five percent (951). A reliability which no other power
generating technology can match.

GEOLOGICAL LOCATION

A very many nuclear plants and other nuclear facilities in the world are
located near geological fault lines. The BNPP is located on sound bedrock and
its' location is as good as that of any other comparable plant. It is beside a
fault line_ It does not straddle the fault line. There is a universe of difference in
these two statements.

Top geologists have evaluated Bataan and, with the exception of Mt.
Natib which is a dormant volcano whose last eruption was estimated to have
been between 11.3 to 18 thousand years ago (Cabato et. al. 2005) and which
is ten kilometers (10 km) from the BNPP, could Find no anomalies in locating
the plant there.

Mt. Natib is an issue that may be a contentious one. Its discussion in

this note would be too lengthy.

Let me state therefore that it is an issue that demands ourjudgement.

However, as we take the issue up in committee, let me further just state

for now that l believe the issue to be moot, for many reasons.

Even with an earthquake fault near the plant, the geologic study of
BNPP, as part of its Safety Analysis Review, has given a seismic movement
design of the plant at 0.4 G to 0. 6 G or about Intensity 8 and plus in layman's
language.

The BNPP has already been through several of such events. Most
notably, the earthquake of 1990, and the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. These
events have not caused any effect on the BNPP. Its soundness of location,
and its structure has therefore, already been tested in real life, not just in
theory.

Page 6 of 11
 Even the U.S. - National nuclear waste repository being completed at
Yuca mountain Nevada is crisscrossed by faults and intrusions.

I have been infonned unofficially that the BNPP already has the site for
a second nuclear plant largely in place. This implies that subsequent
expansions of its capacity may be achieved at reduced costs. It would add
tremendously to the economies of scale for BNPP as opposed to the setting
up of a greenfield plant elsewhere in the country.

The BNPP site had been studied for eleven (11) years prior to the
decision to purchase it in the 70's. More recently, and again in the 90's, it has
also been evaluated and re-evaluated by the IAEA and has been found to be
sound in accordance with their guidelines .

SAFETY OF DESIGN AND RELIABILITY

The design of the BNPP is not unique. BNPP has three (3) sister plants
which were constructed simultaneously during the 70's. These are the Krsko
in Yugoslavia (which is Slovenia now), Kori 2 in South Korea and Angra 1 in
Brazil. These three power plants have been in operation for over twenty (20)
years now and, we have not heard any news that any one has incurred any
minor or major accident. All have impeccable safety records. Further, the
BNPP has cousin plants in the US. of earlier and later design with minor
variations . Such as: the Farley Plant in Alabama, Palo Verde Unit 1, 11, & 111 in
Arizona; Diablo Canyon and San Onofre Plants in California, Callaway Nuclear
Plant in Missouri, Indian Point Energy Center Units 2 & 3 I New York, Shearon
Harris Nuclear Power Plant in North Carolina . These plants have also had
impeccable safety records.

Many nuclear plants have applied for extended operating licenses of an

additional twenty years from the initial forty years. Many have already been
granted extended operating licenses.

The plant type of BNPP is PWR or Pressurized Water Reactor which

accounts for 265 nuclear power plants of the total 439 operating worldwide
(based on 2007 figures) or 601 . Inspite of this figure, not a single death has
been attributed to the operation of this type of nuclear power plant in the last
forty plus years.

IPPs' COAL FIRED POWER PLANT

Page 7 of 11
 By comparison, a coal fired power plants with an equivalent 620 MW to
BNPP would;

1. Consume approximately 1.732M tons coal/year;

2. Emit approximately 4.588M tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) a year,
3. Spread amounts of Mercury, Cadmium, Lead and other heavy
metals, Uranium, and Thorium in the ash or particulates which it
spews out into the surroundings.

A coal plant therefore, concentrates these trace elements up to ten (10)

times their original level (Sci Am Dec. 13, 2007) in its particulate emmissions
and releases it into the environment. And because there are traces of Uranium
and Thorium in the ash, a coal plant spews out radiation. The same is so with
other fossil burning plants. And, if you think that a natural gas power plant is
cleaner than coal, it is only relatively so. An equivalent 620 MIN gas fired plant
would emit Y2 that of a coal plant or 2.65 Million metric tons of C02/year.

No matter what the advertisements say, there is no such thing as "clean"

coal. When you bum coal, the natural consequence is C02. And although C02
may be physically clean and invisible, it is the gas which is the major cause of
global warming . It may be called "clean" but it is definitely harmful in the
amounts at which we are spewing it out today.

FRANCE

The energy policies of France are, to emulate.

France today derives 80% of its electric power from nuclear, and a big
portion of the balance from hydro.

As such, France has one of the lowest Carbon footprints of any country
in the western world.

The French therefore, stand on moral high ground when harm to the
Earth and global warming issues are discussed. It gives them a clear
advantage in trade and economic negotiations with other countries of the
world.

It also gives the French, the cheapest electricity in Western Europe, and
one of the cheapest in the world.

THE GREENS

Page 8 of 11
 If I were an economic power, would I promote nuclear in the developing
world? 1 don't think so. Subliminally at the very least, I would not nurture,
potential competitors to the wodd's other resources, which cheap power would
enable poorer peoples to consume. And so, I comment on the local influence
of the Green and other groups from abroad.

We have listened to the greens from abroad and have given them great
weight in determining our energy future. In the light of global warming, many of
them, such as Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, and also
members of other notable groups such as James Lovelock of GAIA, have now
changed their minds about nuclear_ These people now say that nuclear is the
only viable energy alternative if we are to preserve the Earth. Shouldn't we at
least think about why these people have had a change of heart?.

In a privilege speech recently given, the Hon. Roilo Golez reported on

the issues of global warming as elucidated by former U.S. Vice President AI
Gore. Although the Hon. Golez did not mention it, Al Gore has stated that.
"nuclear power has a role to play in solving the issue of global warming ."

COST TO REHABILITATE

The alternative to the rehabilitation of the BNPP is an equivalently sized

coal fired power plant or gas fired power plant.

Such a plant would supposedly cost between U.S. $900 million to $ 9

billion.

It stands to reason therefore, that BNPP should come in under these

costs or at the very worst, at an equal to this cost.

But it is not quite as simple as that because we do have to consider the

hidden costs and risks involved in building a coal or gas fired power plant, as I
have maybe already overstated.

1 personally believe that the cost should be at about half of a new coal
firedpower plant. My reasoning for such a conclusion will be argued at
committee. I do recognize that there may be matters which l have not
considered in my estimation of these costs but 1 am sure that they will be
brought out in committee.

Page 9 of 11
 I believe that the reasons that I have put forth are both substantial and
compelling . We have paid the price before as we pay it now, for our failure to
look well at viable alternatives .

We, have become laggards in the regional economic competition . Our

only saving grace being our OFWs. Our people, are having a hard time
keeping up with, and competing with our competitors, and surviving the
economic contests that determine who becomes prosperous and who does
not.

Conditions are now right for us to take a second look, to search our
souls, to use our minds, and to let logic and hope, rather than fear and
ignorance, rule.

For these reasons and more, I hope that this bill wilt be vigorously
supported . Our people deserve cheap power. Our people deserve the
POWER, literally, to change and take charge of their lives.

The choice is ours. If we act now, we will still be ahead of the curve. If
we wait until everyone else jumps on the nuclear bandwagon, we will be too
late to reap low prices. We will be faced with shortages of manpower skilled in
the art of nuclear power generation, and shortages in the capacity to build
new nuclear power plants.

If we inventory all our available base load power, that which makes up
the foundation of our generating capacity, we will find that our natural gas
reserves are good for only twenty years after which, they will already be
reaching exhaustion. The only recourse will be to buy from the open market.
Natural gas is much more expensive than coal as far as electric power
generation is concerned.

As for coal, in several more years, its cost would be very prohibitive due
to the enormous expansion and industrialization of China and India where
most of the coal supplies for our coal fired plants come from. This is not to
mention the increasing cost of coal shipments which follow the price of oil .
They have already doubled and will increase further .

Given this scenario, where therefore, can we now get our base load
energy?

Not from the wind, nor from the sun, nor from the water. Simply because
they are not available on demand and are unsuitable as a base load source .

We are now at the same crossroads that we were in, at the start of the
first oil crisis in the early 70's and which ended in the mid-80's .
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 This time however, it will be much worse as world demand for oil and
coal have skyrocketed, with many new and large players (China, India) vying
for the same limited resource.

There are many more detailed reasons and nuances to be debated and
discussed regarding this bill. Too many to mention in this explanatory note and
to be enumerated in the bill proper itself.

I have therefore decided to filter out these issues and reserve my

arguments for committee and plenary deliberations should the bill reach that
level .

But, the meat of the matter is that BIVPP should be operated post haste
and that the country should adopt a progressive nuclear power and nuclear
energy policy .

As citizens of the world, we must do our part, in keeping the Earth as a

habitable place . And yet, we must benefit from the effort, in a material way.

As they say in llokano, Di Ak Kita. Di Ak Pati. To see is to believe. With

over fifty years of an impeccable safety record and proven economy and
efficiency, what more do we need to see?

The power to change our future for the better is now in our hands . It has
always been . God bless us.

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