Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Philippines: Don’t revive the “Monster of Morong, Bataan”
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) to Philippine Congress: Don't revive Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
Monday, 02 February 2009 MANILA, Philippines—For making the public choose between paying more for power generation that they do not need to begin with, and tolerating misplaced priorities where debt service supersedes social welfare, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) today urged Congress to stop the planned rehabilitation, re-commission and commercial operation of the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
“This ‘Monster of Morong’ is a symbol of the Philippines’ struggle against a debt-driven development strategy – often peppered with rent seeking and cronyism – that different administrations, including the current disposition, have espoused,” said the group’s vice president, former Akbayan (Citizens Action Party) Rep. Etta Rosales.
“To revive the BNPP would be to create greater social deficits and push the Filipino people deeper into the vicious debt and underdevelopment trap,” said Rosales. “To make the BNPP operational would be to gamble away the people’s lives on a lost deal.”
Over-projection
In a position paper submitted to the members of House Committees on Energy and Appropriations, the advocacy group questioned the projection of an impending power shortage, stressing the government’s track record in forecasting electricity as “self serving at worst and dismally inaccurate at best.”
“First and foremost, where are the studies that support this claim of an impending power shortage?” asked Rosales.
To prove that the government’s projections are founded on “faulty rationales,” FDC cited the 1993 Power Development Plan by the Ramos administration projecting a 10 percent annual growth rate in demand for electricity over the next 10 years.
“This steep growth in demand failed to materialize, based on DoE (Department of Energy) data. Aside from that, data show that installed capacity and dependable capacity of generation plants had been greater than demand for the period of 1990-2001, except in 1993 when the country was hit with El Nino that had crippled the hydroelectric plants in Mindanao,” Rosales explained.
Another instance of wrong government forecasts is the Visayas experience, where a citizens’ initiative towards a Multi-Stakeholder Power Development Plan (MSPDP) for Panay was launched, according to FDC.
“While the DoE initially stayed away from this initiative, it has recently recognized this bottom-up planning approach and is now supporting a broadened exercise for Western Visayas. A comparison of DoE projections of demand growth for Western Visayas, and that of the MSPDP shows the latter to be closer to actual demand,” the group said.
Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, principal author of the "Bataan Nuclear Power Plant Commissioning Act of 2008,” trumpeted that the BNPP is expected to supply at least 20 percent of the anticipated power shortage before 2012 of 3,000MW.
FDC said that over-projecting demand has led to an overcapacity situation in the Philippine electricity sector for more than a decade now, and this has been proven to be as expensive – if not more – than a power shortage.
“As of April 2008, DoE data show that total installed generating capacity on a national level is 15,937.1 MW. Of this, 83 percent or 13,205 MW is said to be dependable capacity. Peak demand is only 8,999 MW, which gives an excess generating capacity of 4,212 MW. This 4,212 MW is the dead weight loss to the Filipino consumers, mostly households, who must pay for the excess capacity even if the plants are idle, thanks to the ‘take or pay’ clause in the contracts the Ramos government signed with the independent power producers (IPPs),” the group said.
Base load
Citing a study by Prof. Rowaldo Del Mundo of the National Engineering Center in the University of the Philippines, FDC said that in Luzon alone, 85 percent of base load, or the minimum demand for power given any time of day, within the Meralco franchise area comes only from 3 major power plants, even as there are a total number of 55 power generation facilities in Luzon.
“Reviving the BNPP at this time when the base load can only be seen to be shrinking, given the current global economic crisis, is grossly imprudent,” the group said.
Industrial plan
“Even if the government would defend this projected increase in demand, we ask: Where is the industrialization plan that must necessarily be the basis of this anticipated growth in demand? And, should there be additional demand as projected by the government, what convinces us that this additional demand cannot be met by the combined dependable capacities of all generation plants, much less if all these plants were actually pushed closer to its installed capacity?” FDC asked.
FDC emphasized that the biggest driver for electricity demand increases is an industrializing base of the economy.
“The Philippine domestic economy is not on industrialization mode but is actually service sector driven. Moreover, in times of economic crises when companies are closing plants, shortening operating hours, or laying off workers, a corollary contraction in electricity demand is expected. And as the crisis is expected to last until 2011, at the most generous projections, the alleged need for increased generating capacity is thus eliminated,” the group said.
The only possible justification specific to the operations of a nuclear power plant is to meet an increase in base load, or replace existing base load supply. An increase in base load is highly unlikely in times of economic crisis, the group said.
“However, it is a much worse option to replace existing base load supply as the current generators to meet such demands are the environmentally safe geothermal and hydroelectric power plants that are very much necessary in times of a climate crisis,” FDC said.
More wasteful, useless debt
FDC also questioned the proposal to raise equity up to $1 billion, through a surcharge of 10 centavos/kWh of the total electric power generated or international or domestic loan agreements, under Section 22 of the substitute House Bill.
“Is the government making the public choose, or is this a question of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea? They make us pay more for the increased electricity surcharge, while debt service is prioritized over social services,” Rosales said.
FDC claimed that nowhere in this world has the re-construction of nuclear power facilities been right on schedule and on budget.
“After being mothballed for over 20 years, the BNPP will more likely need more than the projected $1 billion to meet the technical and safety demands of a fully operational and nuclear meltdown – safe structure – and this, without factoring in the monumental costs of corruption and bribery that the BNPP itself represents, and the current administration has mastered,” FDC said.
Moreover, nuclear power plant operations will necessitate government financial support, particularly when we factor in buying and safely transporting the highly expensive and toxic uranium ore needed for the functioning of a nuclear power plant, the group said.
“As is the experience in Japan, without government subsidies, no self-respecting, profit-oriented enterprise will undertake the project mainly because of the exorbitant price for operations. Can the Philippines afford to subsidize a project with this level of danger and expense? To subsidize the generation costs and mandate the payment of a 10 centavos/kWh surcharge, or to bring the public deeper into debt and charge them exorbitant rates for the energy they will consume, the government will be pushing the people into a deeper level of economic and financial crisis,” FDC said.
http://www.fdc.ph/
Related Articles:
From Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/the-strange-story-of-a-mothbal
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/greenpeace-plants-tombstone-at
From Philippine Greens: http://en.wordpress.com/tag/philippine-greens/
http://rverzola.wordpress.com/
From Philippine Green Party: http://www.partidokalikasan.org/
From Movement for National Democracy (KPD): http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article12732
“This ‘Monster of Morong’ is a symbol of the Philippines’ struggle against a debt-driven development strategy – often peppered with rent seeking and cronyism – that different administrations, including the current disposition, have espoused,” said the group’s vice president, former Akbayan (Citizens Action Party) Rep. Etta Rosales.
“To revive the BNPP would be to create greater social deficits and push the Filipino people deeper into the vicious debt and underdevelopment trap,” said Rosales. “To make the BNPP operational would be to gamble away the people’s lives on a lost deal.”
Over-projection
In a position paper submitted to the members of House Committees on Energy and Appropriations, the advocacy group questioned the projection of an impending power shortage, stressing the government’s track record in forecasting electricity as “self serving at worst and dismally inaccurate at best.”
“First and foremost, where are the studies that support this claim of an impending power shortage?” asked Rosales.
To prove that the government’s projections are founded on “faulty rationales,” FDC cited the 1993 Power Development Plan by the Ramos administration projecting a 10 percent annual growth rate in demand for electricity over the next 10 years.
“This steep growth in demand failed to materialize, based on DoE (Department of Energy) data. Aside from that, data show that installed capacity and dependable capacity of generation plants had been greater than demand for the period of 1990-2001, except in 1993 when the country was hit with El Nino that had crippled the hydroelectric plants in Mindanao,” Rosales explained.
Another instance of wrong government forecasts is the Visayas experience, where a citizens’ initiative towards a Multi-Stakeholder Power Development Plan (MSPDP) for Panay was launched, according to FDC.
“While the DoE initially stayed away from this initiative, it has recently recognized this bottom-up planning approach and is now supporting a broadened exercise for Western Visayas. A comparison of DoE projections of demand growth for Western Visayas, and that of the MSPDP shows the latter to be closer to actual demand,” the group said.
Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, principal author of the "Bataan Nuclear Power Plant Commissioning Act of 2008,” trumpeted that the BNPP is expected to supply at least 20 percent of the anticipated power shortage before 2012 of 3,000MW.
FDC said that over-projecting demand has led to an overcapacity situation in the Philippine electricity sector for more than a decade now, and this has been proven to be as expensive – if not more – than a power shortage.
“As of April 2008, DoE data show that total installed generating capacity on a national level is 15,937.1 MW. Of this, 83 percent or 13,205 MW is said to be dependable capacity. Peak demand is only 8,999 MW, which gives an excess generating capacity of 4,212 MW. This 4,212 MW is the dead weight loss to the Filipino consumers, mostly households, who must pay for the excess capacity even if the plants are idle, thanks to the ‘take or pay’ clause in the contracts the Ramos government signed with the independent power producers (IPPs),” the group said.
Base load
Citing a study by Prof. Rowaldo Del Mundo of the National Engineering Center in the University of the Philippines, FDC said that in Luzon alone, 85 percent of base load, or the minimum demand for power given any time of day, within the Meralco franchise area comes only from 3 major power plants, even as there are a total number of 55 power generation facilities in Luzon.
“Reviving the BNPP at this time when the base load can only be seen to be shrinking, given the current global economic crisis, is grossly imprudent,” the group said.
Industrial plan
“Even if the government would defend this projected increase in demand, we ask: Where is the industrialization plan that must necessarily be the basis of this anticipated growth in demand? And, should there be additional demand as projected by the government, what convinces us that this additional demand cannot be met by the combined dependable capacities of all generation plants, much less if all these plants were actually pushed closer to its installed capacity?” FDC asked.
FDC emphasized that the biggest driver for electricity demand increases is an industrializing base of the economy.
“The Philippine domestic economy is not on industrialization mode but is actually service sector driven. Moreover, in times of economic crises when companies are closing plants, shortening operating hours, or laying off workers, a corollary contraction in electricity demand is expected. And as the crisis is expected to last until 2011, at the most generous projections, the alleged need for increased generating capacity is thus eliminated,” the group said.
The only possible justification specific to the operations of a nuclear power plant is to meet an increase in base load, or replace existing base load supply. An increase in base load is highly unlikely in times of economic crisis, the group said.
“However, it is a much worse option to replace existing base load supply as the current generators to meet such demands are the environmentally safe geothermal and hydroelectric power plants that are very much necessary in times of a climate crisis,” FDC said.
More wasteful, useless debt
FDC also questioned the proposal to raise equity up to $1 billion, through a surcharge of 10 centavos/kWh of the total electric power generated or international or domestic loan agreements, under Section 22 of the substitute House Bill.
“Is the government making the public choose, or is this a question of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea? They make us pay more for the increased electricity surcharge, while debt service is prioritized over social services,” Rosales said.
FDC claimed that nowhere in this world has the re-construction of nuclear power facilities been right on schedule and on budget.
“After being mothballed for over 20 years, the BNPP will more likely need more than the projected $1 billion to meet the technical and safety demands of a fully operational and nuclear meltdown – safe structure – and this, without factoring in the monumental costs of corruption and bribery that the BNPP itself represents, and the current administration has mastered,” FDC said.
Moreover, nuclear power plant operations will necessitate government financial support, particularly when we factor in buying and safely transporting the highly expensive and toxic uranium ore needed for the functioning of a nuclear power plant, the group said.
“As is the experience in Japan, without government subsidies, no self-respecting, profit-oriented enterprise will undertake the project mainly because of the exorbitant price for operations. Can the Philippines afford to subsidize a project with this level of danger and expense? To subsidize the generation costs and mandate the payment of a 10 centavos/kWh surcharge, or to bring the public deeper into debt and charge them exorbitant rates for the energy they will consume, the government will be pushing the people into a deeper level of economic and financial crisis,” FDC said.
http://www.fdc.ph/
Related Articles:
From Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/the-strange-story-of-a-mothbal
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/greenpeace-plants-tombstone-at
From Philippine Greens: http://en.wordpress.com/tag/philippine-greens/
http://rverzola.wordpress.com/
From Philippine Green Party: http://www.partidokalikasan.org/
From Movement for National Democracy (KPD): http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article12732
For more information:
http://www.fdc.ph/
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Now the question of Nuclear Reactor Power Plants which indeed are twentieth century failed technology, must be looked at. All around the country there are dumps of radiated waste from these 'so-called clean power technology. Hanford dump in Washington state is worth visiting if you think I am not saying true words to you. Radiation waste is not controlled and truth be told the danger of leakage has not been checked. Of courste the corporate propaganda from the Nuclear idustry lyingly tells the government and people that it is safe and clean. It is not and nor is there such a thing as clean coal as it burns out the oxygen and there is poisons in it. The atomic radiation does not stop when the core is cleaned out and new nuclear fuel added. Radiation waste lives on for hundreds and thousands of years and no where has it been made safe for the comming generations.
In Obama's stimulation package, there is a fifty Billion dollar package for the building of new nuclear power plants. Let me ask you, is it wise to start a new administration with a proven pollution causing base?? Now that the organic green movement has proven re-newables and the ever increasing hi-tech tools to diliver the non-pollution solutions , why Nuclear Power Plant when wind, tidal, and solar power is available and forever and free after the initial capital outlay. Go the Non-pollution path it also provides work for all and forever.
RE-TOOL THE ENTIRE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Coal, gas, oil, and atomic energy is destroying the planets livability and therfore the last forty-five years of ecological green organic revolution has brought into being the hi-tech tools to put in place wind, tidal, and solar power which transforms to electricity and is more power than can be used by society. No more blackouts. This non-pollution solution is given freely in natures laws and provides work for all and forever more. Viva social liberation. End pollution wars, not endless wars for more pollution.
Solar energy on the roofs of all houses and private factories and public buildings including sky scraper and along railways and in ports could provide enough energy to make the whole society thrive. It is no use in making the false report that sun can't provide all our needs, when in fact it does just that every day of the year and year around for all times. Sun gives all the life on earth its energy for natural life. Without the sun's energy life on the planet would cease very quickly. So if the industrial revolution has evolved the sciences to the point where we can tap it to our liberation without pollution why not transfer the 50 Billion in the OBama stimulous package to the re-tooling of the entire industrial revolution. That way the industrial base and all of society would begin with the new administration a proven base of the re-newables, and the next generations would cheer us rather than view us with disgust for passing on a polluted mess.
New projects for obtaining fresh water for America could include placing solar batteries on the seashore and sucking ocean water up and pumping it into saline plants droping out the salt, and then exiting the fresh water into pipelines and with solar bateries the entire length of the fresh water pipelines move the water to the places most needed for irrigation and drinking water in the citys. Also the ports could build in electric plug-ins for the merchant ships powered by electric motors so that the ships recieve a full charge to their next generation. Batteries along railways could supply power to third rail electric trains. The need for dams on rivers would be next to elliminated and the fish would be able to make a come back. All this and the end of pollution too.
I do suggest that all the people who voted for Obama because of anti-war for oil sentiments, and clean ecological green organic liberation programmes, had best start organizing and phoning his administration to make sure he transfers the 50 Billion to the renewable energy solution, because he cannnot do it alone. The lobbies of the Atomic and nuclear power corps. are all powerful around him. He needs the mass line to achieve the greening of America again. Really he should appointe anti-war and on the gound leaders in the ecoloigal green power movement. Good Luck and really it is necessary to stop pollution before the fail-safe line is reached. There really is in a livable world a point of no return. The birds are outside my window now plead chirping for a victory here. All life is at stake. Lest we forget, liberation is a path out of the militaristic solution.
In Obama's stimulation package, there is a fifty Billion dollar package for the building of new nuclear power plants. Let me ask you, is it wise to start a new administration with a proven pollution causing base?? Now that the organic green movement has proven re-newables and the ever increasing hi-tech tools to diliver the non-pollution solutions , why Nuclear Power Plant when wind, tidal, and solar power is available and forever and free after the initial capital outlay. Go the Non-pollution path it also provides work for all and forever.
RE-TOOL THE ENTIRE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Coal, gas, oil, and atomic energy is destroying the planets livability and therfore the last forty-five years of ecological green organic revolution has brought into being the hi-tech tools to put in place wind, tidal, and solar power which transforms to electricity and is more power than can be used by society. No more blackouts. This non-pollution solution is given freely in natures laws and provides work for all and forever more. Viva social liberation. End pollution wars, not endless wars for more pollution.
Solar energy on the roofs of all houses and private factories and public buildings including sky scraper and along railways and in ports could provide enough energy to make the whole society thrive. It is no use in making the false report that sun can't provide all our needs, when in fact it does just that every day of the year and year around for all times. Sun gives all the life on earth its energy for natural life. Without the sun's energy life on the planet would cease very quickly. So if the industrial revolution has evolved the sciences to the point where we can tap it to our liberation without pollution why not transfer the 50 Billion in the OBama stimulous package to the re-tooling of the entire industrial revolution. That way the industrial base and all of society would begin with the new administration a proven base of the re-newables, and the next generations would cheer us rather than view us with disgust for passing on a polluted mess.
New projects for obtaining fresh water for America could include placing solar batteries on the seashore and sucking ocean water up and pumping it into saline plants droping out the salt, and then exiting the fresh water into pipelines and with solar bateries the entire length of the fresh water pipelines move the water to the places most needed for irrigation and drinking water in the citys. Also the ports could build in electric plug-ins for the merchant ships powered by electric motors so that the ships recieve a full charge to their next generation. Batteries along railways could supply power to third rail electric trains. The need for dams on rivers would be next to elliminated and the fish would be able to make a come back. All this and the end of pollution too.
I do suggest that all the people who voted for Obama because of anti-war for oil sentiments, and clean ecological green organic liberation programmes, had best start organizing and phoning his administration to make sure he transfers the 50 Billion to the renewable energy solution, because he cannnot do it alone. The lobbies of the Atomic and nuclear power corps. are all powerful around him. He needs the mass line to achieve the greening of America again. Really he should appointe anti-war and on the gound leaders in the ecoloigal green power movement. Good Luck and really it is necessary to stop pollution before the fail-safe line is reached. There really is in a livable world a point of no return. The birds are outside my window now plead chirping for a victory here. All life is at stake. Lest we forget, liberation is a path out of the militaristic solution.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$190.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network