Scientists warn vs selling state power assets

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Filipino scientists warned yesterday that the “accelerated sale” of the state’s power assets will only pull upwards the cost of electricity for consumers.

“Instead of looking at nuclear power to provide cheap energy, President Arroyo only has to realize that most of the energy resources she has auctioned off could have provided the Philippines with cheap and renewable energy,” said Dr. Giovanni Tapang, national chairperson of Filipino scientists group AGHAM or the Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People).

AGHAM noted that Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes is mulling the use of nuclear energy as one of the options to provide cheap power. But Tapang pointed out the country has many available energy resources: hydro, geothermal, natural gas, wind and solar sources.

He said, however, these have been all put up for sale by the government to independent power producers (IPPs). 

“Is the President now mulling building nuclear power plants to sell it again to foreign bidders?” Tapang asked. – Artemio Dumlao