Philippines to Build First Operational 100 Megawatt Nuclear Power Plant in Sulu this Year

Modern Nuclear Power Plant Diagram

Department of Energy considering Sulu as site for nuclear plant this year

Sulu Archipelago in western Mindanao is non-typhoon and non-earthquake prone areas with almost Zero fault line an is among the areas being eyed for a modular nuclear power plant as the Department of Energy (DOE) targets to complete a nuclear energy program within the year.

The Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO) is currently studying the nuclear program of the country and has scheduled scientific visits and capacitating programs to come up with a national policy, Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos said.

“Within this year, we will come up with a comprehensive report. Of course it will be presented to the Office of the President,” Marcos said.

NEPIO was created by the DOE to unify the conduct of various studies and research on nuclear energy development in the country.

It was designed to work in three phases, starting with a comprehensive study on the overview of the country’s energy needs which will lead to forming a policy decision on nuclear.

Phase 2 calls for the preparatory work for the construction of a nuclear power plant while Phase 3 pertains to the activities to implement the said power facility.

The study is expected to undergo a long process to iron out every detail for the country’s nuclear program, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

“What makes it longer is process because of course, a due process for everybody…So we have to go through the process every step of it. Unlike when you have a country that is willing or a host province that would be willing to do it, then the process will be faster,” he said.

Cusi said there is still a lot of opposition to  the operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which has been mothballed since the 1980s.

$2.3 Billion USD Dollar Mothballed Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan. Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant, completed but never fueled, on Bataan Peninsula, 100 kilometers west of Manila in the Philippines. It is located on a 3.57 square kilometre government reservation at Napot Point in Morong, Bataan. 

“We are going in to the process of resolving all the concerns that are being raised against it,” he said.

Sulu province has been very aggressive in pitching to host a nuclear power facility, Marcos said.

“They usually visit the secretary and proposing that they will be hosting a SMR, a small modular reactor, so they can finally have stable, secured, predictable and reasonably priced electricity in the region,” Marcos said.

Since it’s modular, it can have a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) at most, the DOE undersecretary said.

Putting up a nuclear modular reactor in other provinces is also part of the study.

“As long as the provinces are willing. That’s why were forming a national policy… Once it is in place, and there is a host province, we can do it,” Cusi said.

If materialized, Sulu, Mindanao could be the first province in the Philippines to have the operational nuclear powerplant after the mothballed Nuclear Powerplant in Morong, Bataan in Northern Luzon.

Western countries are promoting the Nuclear Power Plant as clean, cheapest and safest renewable source of energy.

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Smartphone boom driving jump in digital payments in the Philippines

A motorist pays toll at the North Luzon Expressway with a PayMaya-issued card. PayMaya offers a smartphone app that allows users to create a "virtual" credit card, without needing a bank account.PHOTO: PAYMAYA


In the Philippines, cash is still king.

Just one in 10 Filipinos transact online via their bank accounts, although half the nation's population of 102 million are already using the internet.

Out of 2.5 billion bank payments worth US$74 billion (S$105 billion) each month, only 1 per cent, or about US$740 million, are electronic and most payments involve small amounts. This equates to roughly US$60 a month for the 11 million people who make online payments via their bank accounts. The vast majority of bank transactions, by value, are still by cash or cheque.

"It's more 'cashlite' than 'cashless' in the Philippines," said Ms Nick Wilwayco, head of communications at e-commerce firm PayMaya.

A boom in mobile phone use, though, could soon change things.

The Philippines is the fastest-growing smartphone market in South-east Asia. There are currently 40 million Filipinos with smartphones and that number is forecast to hit 90 million by 2021.

"Filipinos are more adept at mobile. It is easier for them to discover and to use it," said Ms Wilwayco.

Using Apple, Android and Facebook apps, as well as "digital wallets", mobile phone users can open credit and debit accounts that they can use to transact online, without needing a bank account or even an internet access; just the SIM card.

Voyager Innovations, a unit of telco Smart Communications, currently has over 11 million customers using its smartphone apps to pay for internet and in-store purchases, transfer money, and even secure loans. They declined to give exact growth figures, only saying they were in the "triple-digits".

For Ms Geraldine Rodriguez, 47, a freelance writer, going cashless has meant convenience and peace of mind, even though only a fraction of her daily transactions are online.

She pays about 1,650 pesos (S$46) worth of phone and internet bills each month online via her bank account, and uses a prepaid card when taking the MRT. Most of her bills she still has to pay at a centralised payment centre, though.

With less cash on her, there is less anxiety that she may get mugged or her wallet snatched.

"Is it convenient? Very," said Ms Rodriguez.

Banks have long been a hurdle to greater take-up of online payments. Only three in five Filipinos have bank accounts and among these are the 11 million who pay their bills, order takeout and buy plane tickets, gadgets, clothes, and fashion accessories online, using their ATM, credit and debit cards.

Many still worry about security and privacy.

In a report released in July last year (2016), internet security firm Trend Micro said the Philippines is the third most affected country when it comes to online banking fraud.

Which is why smartphone apps have proved so appealing because it frees up people from having to use bank accounts to make payments or indeed even having a bank account. by rdancel@sph.com.sg StraitsTimes

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Wilcon to raise ₱7 Billion Php in Philippines’ 1st IPO this year

Wilcon Depot San Pablo. Photo: Inquirer

WILCON Depot, Inc. is raising ₱7 billion in the first initial public offering (IPO) this year after pricing the deal at the low end of its target range.

In a statement released on Friday, First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) Executive Vice-President Justino Juan R. Ocampo said the IPO price of the home improvement and construction supplies retailer was set at ₱5.05 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of more than ₱20 billion after listing.

“We convinced Mr. Belo to price at lower end to ensure discount to comparables and give upside to investors,” BDO Capital & Investment Corp. President Eduardo V. Francisco said in a separate mobile phone message, referring to Wilcon Chairman William T. Belo.

Wilson had earlier set a price range of ₱5-₱5.68 apiece.

The offering was more than three times oversubscribed on the back of strong demand from “quality” institutional investors and offshore investors attracted to the strong prospects of the country’s construction and housing industry, FMIC said.

“The success of Wilcon’s IPO demonstrates the investment community’s continued confidence in the Philippine retail market. As disposable income of Filipinos increases, a lot more people are now buying houses or improving their existing homes,” Mr. Belo said in the same statement.

Proceeds from the IPO will be used to bankroll store network expansion, debt retirement and general corporate purposes, according to Wilcon’s prospectus.

Since opening its first store in 1977, Wilcon has transformed itself into a one-stop shop for construction supply and home improvement. It has 37 depots and small format stores across the country, 17 of which are in Metro Manila, 16 more in Luzon, 2 in Visayas, and 2 in Mindanao, with over 2,000 employees.

Wilcon is banking on the continued expansion of its store network to sustain double-digit growth in sales and earnings. In the first nine months of 2016, it booked a 10% year-on-year increase in net sales to ₱11.73 billion and netted 50% more or ₱483 million.

Wilcon kicks off the domestic tranche of the maiden share sale on March 20, with its debut on the Main Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange slated on March 31. The equity offer is selling 34% of its outstanding capital to the public.

FMIC was tapped as the issue manager and bookrunner, with BDO Capital also acting as joint lead underwriter for the IPO. RCBC Capital Corp. and Penta Capital Investment Corp. were mandated as co-lead underwriter and participating underwriter.- Business World Online

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