Greenpeace demands DOE, Duterte to abandon nuclear plans
TAGUIG, Philippines (March 11, 2022) – Greenpeace activists today delivered ‘radioactive waste’ barrels to the “Department of Dangerous and Dirty Energy”, the government agency formerly known as the Department of Energy (DOE). Greenpeace Philippines is demanding that the DOE stop acting like a loyal minion of the nuclear industry, and instead serve the Filipino people by giving them energy security through clean and safe renewable energy.
“The DOE is the #1 cheerleader for the nuclear industry in the Philippines, so it’s only apt that we have renamed it for what it really is: a dangerous peddler of foreign nuclear energy interests disguised as a Philippine government agency,” Greenpeace Campaigner Khevin Yu said. “It’s abhorrent how Secretary Cusi, and his principal, President Duterte, have relentlessly pursued nuclear deals even up to their last few months in power when they could have doubled their efforts to ensure renewable energy gets a better foothold in the country’s future energy direction.”
“As it is, the DOE’s questionable energy policy is potentially going to leave Filipinos a colossal financial burden, aside from more white elephants from an obsolete technology marketed by an industry that’s already in decline. This is the last thing we need now when we’re already facing a record-high debt of PHP 12 trillion and skyrocketing prices of imported fuel,” he added.
The peaceful protest action took place during the anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, which killed at least 20,000 people, forced the evacuation of half a million more, contaminated 240,000 square kilometers of land, and damaged around USD 235 billion (~PHP 12 trillion) worth of property and infrastructure[1]. The plant’s accident clean up costs have been estimated at JPY 35-80 trillion (~PHP 16-36 trillion) over 40 years[2], and its decommissioning is estimated to cost at least JPY 8 trillion[3] (~PHP 3.6 trillion). In total, these costs dwarf the total budget of the Philippine government for 2022, at PHP 5 trillion.
Greenpeace also maintains that nuclear power will not solve the climate crisis. The entire nuclear power plant life cycle contributes significantly to climate change, and these facilities take an average of 10 years to build. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has earlier warned that humanity has only until 2030 to keep global temperature rise within 1.5C. Setting up the country’s nuclear program and building a plant will take decades. Meanwhile, Filipinos will continue to suffer from climate impacts.
“The government’s nuclear delusions are going to cost Filipinos not just money, but also their lives, health, livelihoods, and their future. The DOE should stop peddling nuclear power and President Duterte should revoke EO 164,” said Yu. “The next president of the Philippines should do better and avoid placing this unacceptable burden on the Filipino people. For the next administration, the first order of business must be to strike out the so-called nuclear option from all energy plans.”
Notes:
The environmental organization has earlier called on President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke the executive order. It also calls on the DOE to:
- Align the Philippine Energy Plan to the Paris Climate Agreement by stopping the expansion of nuclear energy and other false solutions projects, such as fossil gas and even waste-to-energy projects;
- Strengthen energy security by scaling up Renewable Energy targets to at least 50% by 2030;
- Expand the coverage of coal moratorium to existing projects in the pipeline and implement a just phaseout plan for existing coal projects in the Philippines; and
- Fully implement the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
Greenpeace also calls on presidential candidates to scrap all plans to include dirty and dangerous energy sources, such as nuclear, waste-to-energy, and coal, to the country’s energy mix if elected.
[2]Japan Center for Economic Research
[3]https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2021030600388/
Media contact:
Khevin Yu
Energy Transition Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines
[email protected] | +63 998 9664807
Angeli Cantillana
Communications Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines
[email protected] | +63 998 595 9733