A former energy official from the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. era is urging the upcoming administration of the latter’s son and namesake to focus on renewable energy development over nuclear power.

In a statement to Philstar, Alberto Dalusung III dismissed nuclear power plants as inflexible and “completely unfit to respond to the country’s load profile.”

Dalusung remarks nuclear power is even worse than coal in respect to self-sufficiency and energy security, since the heavy metals needed to fuel nuclear power plants are not locally available and must be imported.

He also warned of the potential health and contamination risks, citing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986.

What the Philippines needs instead, according to Dalusung, is flexible power plants and sustainable energy sources that are also renewable and clean, such as geothermal, solar, and wind.

Dalusung once served in the Ministry of Energy under the Marcos Sr. administration and has three decades’ worth of experience in the energy sector.

Despite the risks, government interest in nuclear energy has grown in recent times.

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