SOLVING A CRISIS. The Aquino administration vows to find solutions to the Mindanao energy crisis and put into place sustainable power supply for the region.

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino government is still keen on pursuing nuclear energy as a means to prevent any power shortage in the future and to make electricity costs more affordable in the Philippines.

In the Socioeconomic Report 2010 to 2012, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the government intends to focus its efforts on studying alternative technologies in power generation, specifically nuclear power.

The NEDA said the Department of Energy (DOE) is currently undertaking efforts to prepare the country for nuclear power use. The agency said the DOE is in the process of undertaking human resource capacity building to prepare for the eventuality.

The report stated that:

• the government in the future must have the expertise for deciding and implementing nuclear power program;
• in the event of possible accidents in neighboring countries, the Philippines must have well crafted plans/programs for dealing with such contingencies; and
• the power sector in both public and private domains can be helped by increased knowledge in nuclear power generation.

The NEDA added that the government is also open to studying energy policies in other ASEAN countries, particularly Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The agency said it wants to:

• analyze the structure and individual components of electricity prices and compare electricity tariffs in the Philippines with those of selected ASEAN countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore);
• approximate supply costs from tariffs and benchmark Philippine electricity supply costs against those of selected economies; and
• identify policy interventions to lower the costs of supplying electricity in the Philippines.

- Rappler.com