Press Release
February 24, 2009

Zubiri: Give Renewable Energy Act a chance

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday appealed to his former House allies that instead of pushing for the reopening of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), they could instead look into the feasibility of setting up solar farms in the country's eastern coastline.

"Why spend on billions of dollars, when with that amount we can build solar farms across the Philippines eastern seaboard and harvest the power of wind which is clean and renewable," he said.

Zubiri said that with renewable energy there is no chance of endangering Filipino lives particularly those living around the power plants.

He issued the statement following the call made by some members of the Lower House urging the Senate to work with them in formulating a concrete policy on nuclear power for the country.

The measure pending before the House committee on appropriations attracted the attention not only of the people living near the BNPP, but also of the Greenpeace movement

On Monday, youth and parish delegations, and civil society groups converged at the Balanga Cathedral after staging a rally protesting the reopening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Although, Senator Zubiri is open to new types of technology for energy production he, however, stressed that priorities right now should be the "promotion of the renewable energy" which utilizes wind, solar, geothermal, hydro-electronic and bio-mass production of energy.

"Let's give it a chance and let's help make the Philippines the "Renewable Energy Capital of the world."

Zubiri also explained that with the promotion of renewable energy, nuclear energy may not be necessary noting the Philippines has enough wind to produce an additional 1500 megawatts of energy, and sufficient geothermal reserves to produce an over a thousand megawatts of energy, adequate "to offset a need for nuclear power."

News Latest News Feed