Senate to fast-track renewable energy bill

MANILA, Philippines – Senate committee on energy chairman Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago promised recently the passage of the Renewable Energy Bill this month.

At the same time, however, Santiago vowed that no law shall be passed to support the development of nuclear energy.

At the sidelines of the four-day Energy Summit, Defensor said: “We absolutely will see the Renewable Energy Bill passed within the year. It is only February, and in February alone the bill can be passed.”

Santiago believes that the bill, after having been pending at both houses of Congress for several years, has gotten a lot of support.

“There will be no problem in the Senate, as more than half of the members are, themselves, authors of the Renewable Energy Bill,” she said.

Santiago also clarified that she did not commission any review on the Biofuels Act of 2007 and “will just let the law remain as it is.”

But she said the new RE Bill that would be passed could have some provisions that would heighten and complement the use of biofuels.

Santiago likewise said that she does not foresee a nuclear energy bill in the Senate.

While there are benefits from the use of nuclear energy, there are also several negative effects like environmental pollution, according to Santiago.

“The problem with nuclear power is that it raises the issue of how to safeguard the nuclear fuel development and distribution process. Furthermore, current weapons and nuclear stockpiles must be comprehensibly inventoried and monitored,” she said.

Defensor also warned that the Philippines cannot compete with other countries in the business of nuclear energy development.

Meantime, the Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday started drawing up short, medium and long-term action plans in line with the Energy Summit.

The inputs from the workshops that were carried out during the summit will be collated, evaluated and transformed into action plans that will be presented to President Arroyo by Feb. 5.