‘Renewable energy complements nuclear power’

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s aggressive renewable energy rollout could work in tandem with its bold nuclear power push, with each helping to balance and support the other, according to ACEN Corp.

ACEN president and CEO Eric Francia said renewables would be a “nice complement” to nuclear should the Philippines eventually realize its goal of harnessing the technology by 2032.

“Renewables would fill in the mid-merit supply and peak supply, basically during the day and at night. So, it is very complementary to nuclear energy,” Francia said.

While the country’s leading renewable power retailer is not yet inclined to venture into nuclear, he said it is closely watching the space as developments could shape its long-term energy plans.

“Even if we’re focused on renewables today, if nuclear happens tomorrow, that may have an impact on our investment thesis. It’s going to take time, but we’re monitoring,” Francia said.

Unlike fossil fuel-fired power plants, nuclear reactors do not emit air pollution or carbon dioxide during electricity generation, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Nuclear plants are also considered a baseload power source, which runs continuously and provides an uninterrupted supply of electricity.

“Without nuclear power, there is pressure for renewables to go baseload, but they have to be able to compete against coal and gas (plants). That’s really the impact of nuclear power,” Francia said.

Although a great source of clean power, renewables, particularly solar and wind, face challenges due to their intermittency.

For instance, solar farms only generate electricity when the sun is shining, while wind turbines only operate when there is sufficient wind.