DOST secretary bats for use of Bataan nuke plant

MANILA, Philippines - Amid growing fears of a possible nuclear catastrophe in Japan, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo said today that he is for the use of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

"Nuclear power is a safe, economical source of power," Montejo said in a television interview.

The secretary said that technically, the nuclear plant at Napot Point in Morong, Bataan, can still be fuelled and it only needs retrofitting. The government, however, is being prevented from doing this by the clamor from the Church and several groups against its use, he said.

Montejo assured that unlike the power plants in the quake-hit Fukushima, Japan, the BNPP can withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. He added that the power plant has one reactor only.

Montejo, however, said that the government would have to assess what happened in Fukushima to avoid a nuclear crisis before the BNPP is used.

Meanwhile, Montejo said that the DOST is planning to set up tsunami early warning devices in prone areas in the Philippines.

The government issued a tsunami warning in several parts of the Philippines after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off Japan. The quake spawned a ferocious tsunami, causing massive destruction in the city of Sendai.

The destructive earthquake damaged the Dai-ichi power plant in Fukushima causing reactor fires, spewing large amounts of radioactive material into the air.

The Japan government has asked residents living near the power plant to stay indoors or evacuate to safer areas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also advised Filipinos living in the area to leave, or remain indoors.

Montejo, meanwhile, reiterated that the Philippines is still safe from the radioactive material coming from the power plant. He said that the nuclear crisis in Fukushima remains localized.

He said that the Philippine government is closely monitoring the situation in Fukushima due to fresh reports of another reactor fire erupted at the No. 4 unit at the nuclear complex early Wednesday.

"We are continuously monitoring developments in Japan," he said, adding that the DOST will conduct twice-a-day public advisories about the developments in Japan.