Greenpeace denounces PNRI-Valar Atomics nuclear deal: ‘Filipinos are not guinea pigs’
Slams nuclear deal as dangerous and costly
FILE PHOTO: Environmental activists staged a silent protest at the Philippine International Nuclear Supply Chain Forum to voice their opposition to the government’s nuclear energy initiatives. In a powerful statement, two activists unfurled banners reading “We want a nuclear-free future,” underscoring their call for safer, genuine climate solutions for the Philippines.
Greenpeace Philippines today condemned a nuclear agreement between the Philippine government and foreign business interests, following Valar Atomics Inc.’s announcement to construct a 100-kilowatt (kW) nuclear reactor in collaboration with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). Greenpeace maintains that nuclear power is the most dangerous and most expensive way to produce electricity.
“Valar Atomics and PNRI are playing with fire at the expense of the safety of Filipinos,” said Greenpeace Campaigner Khevin Yu. ”The DOST needs to put a stop to this foolish agreement that prioritizes the interests of US companies over the health and welfare of Filipinos.”
Valar Atomics, a start-up, was founded only in 2023 but plans to deploy hundreds of micro nuclear reactors worldwide, starting with the construction of an experimental prototype in the Philippines. Greenpeace is sounding the alarm on the huge risks such an ill-advised plan entails. The company has no track record, and fully operational small nuclear plants remain non-existent. Aside from its lack of experience, the company also has no track record on the social impacts and governance issues around nuclear power plants. Currently, the Philippines has no such framework.
“The micro reactors Valar Atomics proposed remain untested and exist solely on paper. This agreement effectively sets up our people as guinea pigs for unproven and inherently risky technology,” said Yu. “PNRI is plunging into a perilous deal with its eyes wide open, and dragging Filipino people—already burdened by climate impacts and rising costs of living—into an uncertain future with dangerous and costly electricity.”
According to news reports, the agreement between Valar Atomics and the PNRI involves a 100 kilowatt reactor that will cost tens of millions of dollars. For comparison, a newly built 116 megawatt solar farm in Pampanga was constructed in just one year and cost less than USD 48 million.[1]
The Department of Energy (DOE) has ambitions for nuclear energy plants to become commercially operational in the country by 2032, with an initial capacity of 1,200 MW entering the country’s power generation mix. Plans further intend to increase nuclear capacity to 2,400 MW by 2035 and 4,800 MW by 2050. Greenpeace has big doubts whether these plans will actually come to fruition given the nuclear industry’s record of decades of construction delays for conventional plants, the fact that no small modular reactor remains operational up to the present, the prohibitive costs associated with nuclear energy, and the lack of necessary safeguards and regulations to mitigate the dangers of nuclear operations in the country.
“Instead of locking us into this perilous course, the government should cancel the 123 Agreement with the US, abandon all nuclear plans, and redirect resources towards a Just Energy Transition,” said Yu. “Renewable energy is already proven to be more reliable and affordable than fossil fuels in our country. It empowers towns, barangays, and communities to generate their own electricity without the attendant dangers and exorbitant costs of nuclear.”
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