Nuclear Power Plant
A monument to ambition halted by fault lines and fraud.
via Wikipedia: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant · see source
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) stands as the Philippines' sole attempt at nuclear energy, located on a 3.57 km2 government reservation at Napot Point in Barangay Nagbalayong, Morong, Bataan. Situated 100 kilometers west of Manila, this massive facility was completed but never fueled or commissioned. Its history is defined by the 1974 decision to award the contract to Westinghouse despite a lack of specifications, leading to a final cost of $2.3 billion for a single 621-megawatt reactor. Although construction concluded in 1984, safety concerns following the Chernobyl disaster and corruption allegations involving President Ferdinand Marcos led to its permanent mothballing.
Quick Facts
- Country
- Philippines
- Location
- Morong, Bataan
- Owner
- National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR)
- Construction began
- 1976
- Cost
- over US$2.3 billion
Lore & Background
The plant's origins trace back to July 1973, when President Ferdinand Marcos announced the project to counter the 1973 oil crisis. While a presidential committee preferred General Electric's detailed $700 million proposal, Marcos overruled them in June 1974 to sign with Westinghouse for a lower but specification-less bid of $500 million. By March 1975, costs ballooned to $1.2 billion without explanation, eventually reaching $2.3 billion for half the original power output. Construction, beginning in 1976, faced scrutiny after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident revealed over 4,000 defects. Inspectors flagged critical issues with welding, cabling, and location near a major geological fault line and the dormant Mount Pinatubo. In November 1979, Marcos initially halted construction via decree due to public safety hazards, though his administration later supported finishing it.
Reader's Guide
Efforts to revive the BNPP have repeatedly failed due to safety and economic hurdles. In January 2008, an IAEA team led by Akira Omoto inspected the site, recommending thorough technical and economic evaluations before any nuclear program restart but refusing to assess usability or costs. Critics cite risks from the Lubao Fault near Mount Natib and high decommissioning costs. Proposals to convert it to oil, coal, or gas were deemed less attractive than new stations. In 2017, Rosatom and GEN Energija estimated rehabilitation between $3 billion and $4 billion. Legal battles continued into the 2020s; in 2021, the Supreme Court ordered Disini's estate to pay over ₱1 billion in damages, reduced to ₱100 million in August 2023 for temperate damages.
Did You Know?
- The plant cost $2.3 billion to build, which was equivalent to 10% of the Philippines' external debt at the time.
- Despite never being fueled, the facility requires an average of ₱40 million a year just for maintenance.
- In August 2023, the Supreme Court reduced the temperate damages Herminio Disini's estate must pay to ₱100 million.
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