Under a
regime of martial law, President
Ferdinand Marcos in July 1973 announced the decision to build a nuclear power plant. This was in response to the
1973 oil crisis, as the Middle East
oil embargo had put a heavy strain on the Philippine economy, and Marcos believed nuclear power to be the solution to meeting the country's energy demands and decreasing dependence on imported oil. In 1976, construction on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) began. Following the 1979
Three Mile Island accident in the
United States, construction on the BNPP was stopped, and a safety inquiry into the plant revealed over 4,000 defects. Among the issues raised was that it was built near major
faults and close to the then dormant
Pinatubo volcano. Issues of overpricing, bribery, corruption, mismanagement were also raised. In November 1979, President
Ferdinand Marcos stated via a decree that the continuation of the construction was not possible due to potential hazards to the health and safety of the public. However, the Marcos administration eventually supported the project. In 2009, a bill was filed in the Philippine House of Representatives to recommission and operate the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The cost for rehabilitation was placed at US$1 billion, to be shouldered by taxpayers through loans and additional charges to consumers. The Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines, No to BNPP Revival, and Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM), and the Freedom from Debt Coalition opposed the bill, saying that the nuclear plant was defective and dangerous and harbored technical flaw. with the cost for rehabilitating the plant estimated at US$1 billion. Issues were raised against the plant in the Philippine Senate and by Greenpeace Philippines, No to BNPP, Nuclear Free Bataan Movement, and Balanga (Bataan) Bishop Ruperto Santos regarding corruption, cost, and safety. ==See also==