Lawmaker Pushes Nuclear Over Renewables in PH

Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco has issued a strong challenge to the country’s current energy roadmap, calling for a nuclear-driven future and criticizing what he describes as an overreliance on solar and wind energy in the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP).

“I have a problem with RE [renewable energy] being talked about in the magnitude that it serves the Philippines right now,” Cojuangco said during the 3rd Ruperto P. Alonzo Memorial Lecture Series.

Currently chair of the House Committee on Nuclear Energy, Cojuangco warned that the country’s geography and weather patterns make it poorly suited for solar and wind technologies.

“We are on the western side of the Pacific Ocean where the trade winds cross… many months of overcast weather, which doesn’t do good for solar power,” he said, adding that wind energy is similarly unreliable, with multi-week lulls that make offshore systems vulnerable to sabotage.

Backing up variable energy sources like solar and wind with liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also unsustainable, he argued, especially as Malampaya’s gas output continues to decline.

Cojuangco emphasized that the country remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels—85% of the power mix—with coal accounting for 65% and natural gas at 20%.

“For every 1,000 megawatts of coal, we import between USD 600 to 700 million a year’s worth of fuel,” he said. “For nuclear power, it would only be between 20 and 30 million dollars a year.”

He pointed to nuclear fuel’s high energy density, noting that “a Mongol pencil eraser-sized nuclear pellet is worth over a ton of coal.”

Cojuangco cited Japan’s experience after the Fukushima disaster, when nuclear shutdowns led to a surge in fossil fuel imports, costing “USD 30 billion a year” and totaling “half a trillion U.S. dollars” after the Ukraine war disrupted global supply chains.

“The Japanese saw it as an export of their wealth,” he warned. “The Philippines is on the same path, burning dollars earned by overseas workers only to burn it to create electricity.”

To meet projected demand—expected to triple to 68,000 megawatts by 2045—Cojuangco proposes building 16,000 MW of nuclear power capacity.

He emphasized that this does not mean abandoning fossil fuels, but rather complementing them to cover future growth.

Cojuangco continues to advocate for recommissioning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, a shelved facility built in the 1980s.

“The plant itself, the plant site… the power line, the road… I would say it’s worth a couple of billion US dollars,” he estimated. “If we treated that as our equity, we could [deliver] 6.7 times more than that amount for nuclear new build without appropriating a single peso.”

He also took aim at the Department of Energy’s current strategy.

“Their nuclear PEP is anemic,” he said, criticizing the “one-reactor-at-a-time” model.

He cited the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah plant as a cost-efficient example, built in clusters of four to reduce costs by 30%.

“The cheapest way to build nuclear is four per site,” he said.

Public opinion may be on his side.

A survey from the Duterte administration showed 78% of Filipinos supporting nuclear energy—largely driven by frustration with high electricity prices.

Cojuangco also dismissed the PEP’s 50% renewable target by 2040 as misleading, noting that “solar has a capacity factor of 15% and wind has a capacity factor of 35%, 40%,” meaning their actual energy output is far less than their nominal capacity suggests.

“Why not have nuclear plants as backup instead of gas?” he asked, pointing out that other countries, like Bangladesh and even California, are turning back to nuclear power.

“Africa’s building. America is turning its back on wind. Bangladesh is building its first [nuclear plant],” he said.

Cojuangco’s long-standing vision is rooted in economic transformation, especially for his home province of Pangasinan.

In the town of Labrador, he has proposed a nuclear plant that would offer free electricity to residents, calling it a model for how affordable power can change lives.

“They can imagine prosperity,” he said. “Nuclear offers a brighter path forward.”