MANILA, Philippines — The government should invest more in the country’s energy sector by making power infrastructure “climate-proof” and exploring alternative sources to tackle the nation’s energy woes, according to new studies by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
The PIDS studies stressed that huge investments are required to fix the causes of power interruptions, which the think tank said costs the local economy P556 million per five-hour outage.
PIDS reported that the causes of electricity supply interruptions are broadly classified into environmental, supply, technical, and other issues, with environmental issues being “the most critical cause” among the four.
The state think tank then recommended prioritizing the climate-proofing of power infrastructure, a significant investment that, PIDS said, can be incorporated into the government's medium- to long-term plans.
“When electricity supply is not continuously given to businesses, this affects their income. When business incomes are affected, it cascades down to their employees," said Kris Francisco, a research fellow at PIDS and author of the study “Electricity Supply Interruptions in the Philippines: Characteristics, Trends, Causes”.
Her research analyzed the monthly interruption reports of electric cooperatives submitted to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
Francisco also stressed the need to provide assistance to and develop policies for electric cooperatives to increase their capacity and access to power supply, given their essential role in the energy sector.
Nuclear energy as alternative source
Meanwhile, Senior Research Fellow Adoracion Navarro, author of the study “The Implications of Developing a Philippine Nuclear Energy Program”, highlighted the significance of other energy sources, specifically nuclear energy, in addressing power supply problems.
She mentioned that despite some setbacks, the government sees nuclear energy as a promising option, and talks about reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant have started.
However, Navarro cautioned that "should the Philippines commit to a nuclear energy program, it must be prepared for a period of 100 years from construction to decommissioning."
She recommended conducting a comprehensive assessment of a nuclear power plant's disaster risks and establishing clear protocols for its construction, decommissioning, and waste disposal or storage, consistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Milestones Approach.
Aside from the huge costs a nuclear energy program requires, Navarro explained that updating current laws and ratifying international legal instruments remain the biggest hurdle to nuclear energy.
