International conference on nuclear power kicks off in Philippines

A three-day international conference on the prospects of nuclear power in the Asia Pacific Region opened Tuesday in the Philippine capital.

The conference aims to look at the potential and crucial role of nuclear energy in improving a nation's energy supply situation, while also considering the institutional and regional challenges in developing the needed policy frameworks and competencies for an efficient and effective nuclear program, said Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Donato Marcos, chair of the Inter-Agency Committee that organized the event.

It is the fourth in a series of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regional conferences and is being attended by the representatives from IAEA member-countries and various international and national agencies.

Philippine DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, speaking in the event also, said the nuclear technology can be an option for the country in order to meet the growing capacity requirement.

This was despite the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which was built in the late 1970s but was never operated after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

"With intensified eletrification programs, increasing population and strong GDP (gross domestic product) growth, demand for electricity is expected to grow by an average of 5 percent per year until 2030, or around 126 terra-watt from 2015 level of 82 terra-watt hour," Cusi said.

"This is the most pressing concern for the country," he said, adding, "given its known characteristics, nuclear energy can be viable choice for the country." Endit