SAN MANUEL, Pangasinan — Sinabi ni Energy Secretary Sharon Garin na wala pang kumpanyang nagsusumite ng proposal para magtayo ng nuclear power plant sa bansa, kahit nakapagtukoy at nakapagsuri na ang Department of Energy ng ilang posibleng lokasyon para sa naturang pasilidad.
Ginawa ni Garin ang pahayag sa inagurasyon ng 92-megawatt San Manuel Solar Power Plant dito nitong Martes.
Ayon kay Garin, sapat ang power supply ng bansa ngunit kailangan pa ring pagbutihin ang energy mix upang magkaroon ng mas balanseng pinagkukunan ng kuryente, kabilang ang reliable baseload sources gaya ng nuclear power o iba pang angkop na teknolohiya.
“We still need to improve our energy mix so that it becomes more efficient. With solar, for example, like now when it’s raining, it doesn’t generate power. So there have to be other sources to compensate and balance the system while keeping electricity costs as low as possible,” pahayag niya.
Sinabi ni Sean Chen, chief project development and execution officer ng Aboitiz Power, na may peak capacity na 92 megawatts ang San Manuel Solar Power Plant ngunit maaaring bumaba sa humigit-kumulang 40 megawatts ang output nito kapag maulap o malakas ang ulan.
Nilinaw ni Garin na hindi tungkulin ng DOE na magtayo ng power plants, kundi suriin kung ang mga iminungkahing lokasyon ay angkop para sa energy facilities, kabilang ang nuclear power plants.
“We examine factors such as whether an area is prone to earthquakes, whether there are nearby fault lines, whether it is vulnerable to flooding, and other similar considerations. We have already assessed Labrador, Bataan, Palawan, and several other areas,” ani Garin.
Ayon sa kalihim, gumagamit ang DOE ng scoring system upang suriin ang mga posibleng nuclear sites batay sa technical at environmental characteristics ng mga ito.
“However, I don’t think there is any proposal yet from a company willing to build a nuclear power plant. We have not received any such proposal so far,” dagdag niya.
Sinabi rin ni Garin na nakakuha ng favorable rating ang bayan ng Labrador sa western Pangasinan bilang posibleng lokasyon, batay sa criteria na ginagamit ng mga scientist at technical experts.
“We have a technical team that conducts fieldwork and on-site assessments. There is a thorough evaluation process. There are still some issues that need to be addressed, so it’s not a perfect site, but it remains on the list of possible locations,” pahayag niya. Dave Baluyot
