Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman proposed the put up of small modular nuclear reactors, more popularly called Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in strategic areas around the country to address the looming power crisis and abate the serious negative impact of climate change in the archipelago.
Hartman said that Canada will be rolling out the small modular nuclear reactors in strategic areas in the mineral-rich nation to help reduce the nation’s dependency on fossil fuel to provide the energy requirements of its 40 million population.
He pointed out that it is high time for people to disabuse their fear on the use of nuclear power because it is actually cheap and clean that would result in much lower consumer power rates that will translate to a better quality of life.
The Canadian ambassador emphasized that in the case of the Philippines, small modular nuclear reactors are recommended because of its archipelagic character with geographically dispersed areas that must be provided with cheap and reliable power to improve people’s quality of life with the use of the latest technology.
According to him, what is needed at this point is clean and cheap power which can be provided by renewable sources and nuclear energy which developed countries like Canada is trying to work on through the use of small modular nuclear reactors to effectively and efficiently address the growing need for energy in various parts of that country.
Hartman said that the small nuclear reactors in strategic areas around Canada will be rolled out by 2025 to help in spurring economic activities of people in certain areas to help in sustaining the economic growth that had made Canada one of the most developed countries in the world.
He expressed hope that the Filipinos will realize the greater benefits of using the latest technology in nuclear energy so that the Philippines can significantly lessen its dependence on the use of fossil fuel for energy purposes to reduce the impact of climate change to the world.
The Canadian envoy stipulated that the use of SMRs is much cheaper and beneficial to the Filipinos because it can provide cheap and reliable power to the various islands once these reactors are established in strategic areas to be identified by experts for the safety and compliance of the reactors to the standards imposed by international regulatory agencies.
Hartman asserted that Canada was able to prove that the use of nuclear energy is safe similar to the experience of other developed countries because of the availability of the latest technologies and the fear of people on the negative effects of nuclear power should already be addressed and for them to be open-minded about the use of nuclear energy to allow it to be rolled out in the Philippines.
Some indigenous nations in Canada are in partnership with power-generation companies for the setting-up of SMRs in their territories through commercial and equity arrangements.
Ambassador Hartman was in the city to personally attend the 69th edition of the Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference which was spearheaded by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association to help sustain the practice of ethical and responsible mining in the Philippines pursuant to the theme Mining 4.0: Safer, Smarter and Sustainable.
