ELECTRICITY from nuclear power will be one way for the country to remain competitive in the next 10 to 15 years, said Arthur Young, chairman of the Semiconductors and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (Seipi).

Nuclear power has gained interest as a possible source of electricity considering that power supply is a very important factor a lot of multinationals look at when they decide to invest.

Young admitted that businessmen do not see any alternative to nuclear power that will make the country comparable with neighbor Asean countries, with respect to power rates.

“If we look to 10 to 15 years from now, certainly nuclear is an option we are supporting,” he added.

“We at Seipi are glad that Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes has earlier announced that the DOE [Department of Energy] is looking at nuclear power.

“We also think nuclear is one of the cheapest source of power in terms of costs rather than coal- or oil-based plants,” Young said.

Young pointed out that technology has even made nuclear power safer and clean, particularly in terms of waste disposal.

Young said that even Vietnam has already started building a nuclear power plant.

While Vietnam has registered $1.5 billion to $2 billion of electronics exports, according to Young, Vietnam is now getting thrice or four times the size of orders than what the Philippines is getting.

“I am more worried of being totally uncompetitive in the next 10 years because our power costs are totally out of this world, rather than safety concerns, which can be addressed by technology,” said Young.

He said the country needs to have investments coming for the industry (semiconductors) to grow, and the country needs to go nuclear as nothing can compete with it in terms of power price.

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) is set to offer to its customers with a monthly consumption of 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) its time-of-use rates by November.

STATE-RUN National Transmission Corp. (Transco) said Tuesday that technical investigations done by its personnel reported that malfunctioning transmission-line protective relay resulted in power interruptions in the adjacent incoming and outgoing transmission lines at its Kibawe substation in Bukidnon. This has caused power outages in some parts of Mindanao.

THE National Power Corp. (Napocor) will sit down with Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to study options how it can provide stable power supply at affordable rates.

THE extension of LRT Line 1 is now for implementation after the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board has given its go-signal for it.

ELECTRICITY from nuclear power will be one way for the country to remain competitive in the next 10 to 15 years, said Arthur Young, chairman of the Semiconductors and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (Seipi).

A NEW rice variety, developed by a leading rice-research agency in Asia, for flooded, low-lying fields promises not only of enduring flood water but also of resisting the three known most dreaded rice pests—bacterial blast, tungro and stemborer.

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it is reviewing its memorandum of agreement with the Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) to include a group of producers based in Mindanao, among other stakeholders, to join in the government’s fight  againt sugar smuggling.