Marcos disappointed Philippines halted Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

MANILA, Philippines — More than four decades after the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was mothballed, President Marcos expressed disappointment that the facility was halted, as he claimed that people are now concerned about having access to affordable electricity, regardless of its source.

During the fourth day of his five-day working visit here, Marcos visited the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute, which was established in 2014 to build up the country’s capabilities in nuclear safety, science and engineering.

Speaking to officials of the institute and business executives yesterday, Marcos said the Philippines already had a pool of nuclear energy experts, but the development of the Bataan power plant was never completed.

“In 1986, we were already in the first two phases. In fact, that pool of trained… professionals, government, (people with) master’s (degrees), PhD, professionals... They’re still around waiting to put their knowledge into practice,” he said.

His father and namesake, the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., had ordered the building of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to address an oil crisis in the 1970s.

The facility was completed in 1984, but was mothballed in 1986 after the elder Marcos was ousted through the people power revolution.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster that took place in 1986 intensified opposition against the use of nuclear energy for power generation.

In 2022, former president Rodrigo Duterte approved the inclusion of nuclear power in the Philippines’ energy mix, saying it would close the gap between rising energy demands and supply.

Executive Order 164 issued by Duterte on Feb. 28, 2022 states that the government will tap nuclear power as a viable alternative baseload power source, along with alternative energy sources “to address the projected decline of coal-fired power plants which come under increasing environmental opposition.”