14c 2rs Hb 4631 Recommissioning Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

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 . Emergency Evacuation Man - Th establish an emergency evacuation plan within the pres SECTION 12.

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-- )

and Regulations

SECTION ~15' Energy, .~~~

President of ^

f~~

- The Secretary of ^

`

.

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 ~~ by ~~~ ~~m~~ -~~~~~~~ President ~~~ ~-`~ ~~ ~`~ ~~ ~~ ~~e _~_____. of _~ __ House o___ _ . Representatives, respectively . 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 . provision

of this Act is declared to be

provisions hereof which are

If for any reason, any section

unconstitutional,

the

or

other sections or

not affected thereby shall continue to be in full

torce and

rules

'

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 with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified

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

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

FOURTEENTH CONGRESS Second Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.

4631

Introduced by Hon . Mark O. Cojuangco

Explanatory Note Global Warming challenge .

is now mankind's greatest threat and

greatest

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 :

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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. Hydrogen, as a

vehicle

or vessel for energy transmission by direct hydrogen combustion. Or, by the use of hydrogen to synthesizel7iquefylgasify

andlor extend existing

carbon

(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.

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

at

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

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By comparison, a coal fired power plants with an equivalent 620 MW to BNPP would; 1. 2. 3.

Consume approximately 1.732M tons coal/year; Emit approximately 4.588M tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) a year, 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. billion.

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

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 power 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. fired

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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, energy?

can we now get our base load

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 . Page 10 of 11

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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