Rad Chem

Sharalyn G.
Orbase BS Chemistry IV
Nuclear Power Plant
Living organisms require energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food. Energy
is a beneficial thing that used for human’s activity. Human civilization requires energy to
function, which it gets from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable
energy. The processes of Earth's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth
receives from the sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth.
Energy source that obtained from separating nuclear fission or makes the combination of
nuclear fission named as nuclear power. Nuclear fission is the process that is used in nuclear
reactors to produce high amount of energy using element called uranium. A nuclear power
plant is a facility that converts atomic energy into usable power. Some countries are using
nuclear power plant for generating electricity for them. The advances of nuclear technology
benefit people in many ways. The invention of nuclear generator provides thousand times
electricity than the traditional one does. Also, instead of burning fossil fuel, it emits no carbon
dioxide to the surroundings, which is recognised as the only solution to solve global warming
and continuously supplies adequate power. Although the nuclear energy generation can eases
the energy crisis all over the world, it is highly hazardous not only to nearby citizens but also to
other nations. While being environmentally friendly is the big plus of nuclear energy, disposal of
radioactive waste and protecting people and environment from its radiations is a big cons of
nuclear energy.
Going nuclear is a highly inappropriate option because of its potential to cause catastrophic
damage due to accidents, sabotage or terrorism; to produce very long-lived radioactive wastes;
and to exacerbate nuclear proliferation. It is also water intensive, slow to construct, and very
expensive. With many countries already phasing out nuclear power in favor of renewable
energy technologies, the nuclear option is but a costly and risky diversion for the Philippines.
While it is true that nuclear energy is a mature, low-greenhouse gas emission source of
baseload power, many important risks attached to this option have been aptly demonstrated as
reality—at Three Mile Island in New York, Chernobyl in Ukraine and, closer to home, Fukushima
in Japan. The large-scale property damage and evacuation costs from nuclear accidents are the
key liabilities of having a nuclear facility in an earthquake-prone country like the Philippines. In
a matter of hours, a nuclear disaster could generate global fear and horror; this has been
illustrated in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, that brought about the meltdown of the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The cost in the long run is not economically ideal either. The National Power Corporation
(NAPOCOR) has stated that after studying the financial plan of Korea Electric Power Corporation
(KEPCO) it may cost up to $1 billion to rehabilitate thepower plant which would put the
estimated cost of the power plant to $3.3 billion. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is the single
largest debt item of the Philippines of which we have been paying interest for the past 35
years.Therefore, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant should not be reopened because the
drawbacks and disadvantages far outweigh the benefits.
The best energy option for the Philippines is not nuclear but the already proven and
demonstrated renewable energy technologies. These are relatively less risky, environmentally
benign, socially acceptable, and economically plausible options. These include utility-scale and
distributed solar, wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal installations. Our equatorial, geographic
and archipelagic location, which translates into a tremendous renewable energy potential, is a
natural blessing many countries are envious of. Projects that transform our huge wind, water,
sunlight and geothermal resources into our much-needed energy can be constructed quickly,
within two to five years, but without the risks and costs attached to nuclear.
Therefore, bringing the BNPP—or any nuclear energy facility for that matter—online is nothing
but a risky and costly digression to an effective approach to our energy supply problem.
Adopting this most expensive and very risky remedy only curbs what we can (and must) spend
on the more promising approaches. For this concerned about the future of energy in the
Philippines, renewables, not nuclear, is the way forward.

Rad Chem

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Sharalyn G.

Nuclear Power Plant

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