The plan to have nuclear energy as one of the country’s power sources is now awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision, according to Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi.
Cusi said the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted the proposed nuclear power plan to the chief executive last December.
The EO, signed by Duterte on July 24, 2020, gave the DOE-chaired Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) six months to come up with a plan to conduct a study and determine the national position for a nuclear energy program (NEP) in accordance with pertinent guidelines from the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as relevant laws.
The committee was also tasked to include a timeline in the preparation of an NEP, as well as measures to address infrastructure issues and make the necessary recommendations. It was likewise ordered to look into existing legal frameworks, the viability of nuclear power, and recommend the necessary steps in its utilization, as well as existing facilities such as the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).