As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board meets today to deliberate its 2025 Energy Policy Review, a coalition of civil society groups led by the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement (NFBM) held a protest at the bank’s headquarters, condemning a proposed policy shift to finance nuclear power as a “dangerous reversal” that threatens developing nations with massive debt and radioactive risk.
NFBM was joined by Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KILUSAN), KAISA KA, PANGISDA PILIPINAS, Youth for Nationalism and Democracy, YoungBEAN, and STEPGEN.
The groups warn that lifting the ADB’s 2021 prohibition on nuclear financing would lock countries into expensive, risky, and outdated technology, while diverting critical funds from truly safe and renewable energy solutions.
A Dangerous and Regressive Policy Shift
The ADB’s own 2021 Energy Policy explicitly prohibited nuclear investments, recognizing the immense risks of radioactive waste, seismic hazards, and unmanageable debt burdens for developing member countries. The current review shockingly proposes to reverse this ban, positioning nuclear power as a “viable decarbonization pathway.”
“This push for nuclear energy is a leap in the wrong direction—back into debt and danger,” said Derek Cabe, Coordinator of the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement. “The ghost of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant reminds us that safety is not a technicality; it’s a necessity. When profit overrides precaution, communities in Asia and the Pacific pay the price.”
Learning from the Bataan Mistake
The coalition points to the Philippines’ own Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) as a cautionary tale. A $2.3 billion debt burden that never produced a single watt of electricity, the BNPP stands as a monument to nuclear folly, built on a geologically unstable site near an active fault and a volcano.
False Solutions and a Flawed Process
The Energy Policy Review is also criticized for promoting other “false solutions,” including:
· Co-firing with biofuels, hydrogen, and ammonia.
· Expanded fossil gas infrastructure.
· Unproven Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS).
These technologies prolong the life of the fossil fuel industry and divert investment from genuine renewables. Furthermore, the review process itself has been marked by opacity, rushed timelines, and a lack of meaningful consultation with civil society and frontline communities, undermining the ADB’s own accountability standards.
A Call for a Just and Safe Energy Future
The coalition demands the ADB:
1. Uphold the Ban: Retain and strengthen the prohibition on nuclear energy financing.
2. Reject False Solutions: Stop promoting CCUS, co-firing, and unsustainable critical minerals expansion.
3. Phase Out Fossil Fuels: Commit to a full, rapid fossil fuel phase-out aligned with the 1.5°C climate target.
4. Ensure Transparency: Guarantee meaningful civil society participation in the policy review.
5. Empower Communities: Prioritize investments in community-owned, decentralized renewable energy systems.
“Our message is clear: from Bataan to Fukushima, the cost of these dangerous experiments is paid by people, not polluters,” Cabe concluded. “Our future must be nuclear-free, fossil-free, and centered on the people. The ADB must stop this nuclear push and build a just energy future now.”
