Inside Southeast Asia’s shuttered nuclear power plant west of Manila

The coconut fronds sway to a steady breeze from the South China Sea at the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) compound west of the Philippine capital Manila – Southeast Asia’s only nuclear facility that has been shuttered for four decades.

The plant was completed during the waning years of the dictatorship of Ferdinand E. Marcos at a cost of U.S. $2.3 billion. After a 1986 “people power” uprising ended his two-decade reign, safety inspectors found the plant unsafe to operate because it was built near a major fault line and a volcano.

His son and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., resurrected the family’s political fortunes by winning the presidency two years ago. While he has pledged to continue with renewable sources of energy, he has also signaled a renewed focus on nuclear power, with plans to revive the plant.

“The plant system is still intact,” said Jose G. Manalo, the principal engineer and caretaker at the facility since 2010.

Some legal hurdles remain, however, because the Philippine Constitution explicitly bans the use of nuclear weapons in the country. Manila is working on the legal framework for the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy. 

Still, this hasn’t stopped the younger Marcos from tapping countries such as the United States and South Korea for nuclear collaboration. 

As debate over the safety of reviving the plant swirls, Manalo gives educational tours. His calendar is booked with tours for energy officials and engineering students from neighboring countries.

He side-stepped political questions during a recent BenarNews visit, but said that the facility remains as “pristine” as it was 40 years ago. 

Rather than collecting dust and the people’s taxes going to the government debts incurred in building the plant, Manalo argues that it may be better to switch it on, or show it off as a showcase for nuclear energy.

“If the plant operates it can generate 621 megawatts,” he said. “Translated today, this can supply at least 4% (of) power requirements of Luzon.”

A trip inside the plant’s belly is like time traveling back to the 1980s. In the control room, a rotary telephone missing its dial is on top of a console with dozens of outdated control buttons tagged with small rectangular pieces of cardboard, their functions written with fading ink. 

The last of the technicians trained to handle the operations have died of old age or left the country. But its reactors are in good condition and presumably still work – since the plant never went operational, no one knows for sure. 

The use of nuclear energy for power generation is in support of meeting the electricity requirements until 2050, when it is expected to contribute about 9% of the country’s needs, according to the energy department. 

Nuclear dreams

Coal, natural gas and oil remain the country’s top energy sources. Still, that has not stopped the Marcos administration from pursuing its nuclear dreams. 

Becoming the first Southeast Asian nation powered by nuclear energy and reviving his father’s ambition has been in the works since Marcos’ election campaign. 

This week, Manila is hosting the inaugural Philippine International Nuclear Supply Chain Forum 2024, which aims to guide the country in its transition toward clean and sustainable energy systems.

“I believe it is time to reexamine our strategy toward building nuclear power plants in the Philippines,” Marcos said during his first address to Congress as president in 2022. 

The Philippine government would work with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for safety regulations for nuclear power plants, Marcos said. 

Safety concerns, politics

Geopolitical considerations are at play, environmentalists said, with Marcos under the protective embrace of the United States to counter China in the South China Sea. 

Last year, Manila signed a “123 Agreement” with the U.S. agreeing to share materials and know-how as the Philippines moves toward developing small modular reactors.

“BNPP remains unfit for operation due to its aging facilities and safety concerns on geological hazard, nuclear risks and other operational concerns that have not been addressed,” said Khevin Yu, the climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace in Manila. 

“[R]enewable energy remains the best option for the Philippines providing cheaper, safer and accessible energy for all,” Yu told BenarNews.

For residents of Bataan, the potential for disaster remains the key issue as “safety concerns” remain a factor in firing up the BNPP, said Derek Cabe, a spokesman for the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement.

“No amount of technology invented by men could guarantee a 100% safety record,” Cabe said. 

“It is saddening that while other nations are ramping up renewable energy development to address their energy problems, the Philippine government is doing the opposite.”

Jojo Riñoza in Manila contributed to this report.