# Construction Starts on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (1976)

URL: https://allhistories.com/philippines/timeline/1976-construction-starts-on-the-bataan-nuclear-power-plant
Location: Morong, Bataan
Themes: Energy, Debt

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a finished nuclear facility on the Bataan Peninsula, about 100 kilometres west of Manila, and it was never fuelled or operated. Its Westinghouse light water reactor was designed to produce 621 megawatts. The president announced the project in 1973, citing the oil crisis, and construction began in 1976. A presidential committee preferred General Electric’s detailed proposal, but the president overruled it in 1974 and awarded the contract to Westinghouse, whose proposal lacked specifications. Westinghouse’s early estimate of about US$500 million grew to roughly US$2.3 billion. After the 1979 Three Mile Island accident work was halted, and a safety inquiry reportedly identified over 4,000 defects. Critics also raised concerns about nearby geological faults and volcanoes. Investigations later linked the deal to corruption: Herminio Disini was ordered to repay commissions, and the president was reported to have received about US$80 million in kickbacks. After 1986 the Aquino government decided not to operate it, and the debt was fully repaid in April 2007. A 2024 agreement set up a feasibility study by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. At this point in the timeline (1976), President Ferdinand Marcos (30 December 1965 – 25 February 1986) led the Republic of the Philippines.

## Why it matters
It became the emblem of debt-financed megaprojects and of corruption under the dictatorship.

Ruler at the Time: [Ferdinand Marcos](https://allhistories.com/philippines/rulers/ferdinand-marcos)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Bataan Nuclear Power Plant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Nuclear_Power_Plant)
- [Wikipedia — Marcos dictatorship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcos_dictatorship)