By: Yolanda Sotelo – Correspondent / @yzsoteloINQ

February 9, 2026

LABRADOR, Pangasinan — Residents opposing a proposed nuclear power plant in this coastal town are looking to Sual, as a cautionary tale, where a 1,218-megawatt coal-fired plant has been running since 1999.

“They promised cheap or free electricity,” says Joel Ferrer of the Save Sual Movement. “That never happened.”

Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco had previously said nuclear power would enable Labrador residents to pay as little as P5 per kilowatt-hour, and in the future, even get it for free.

Cojuangco has championed nuclear power for 18 years, insisting it is the key to solving the country’s persistent electricity problems — issues, he says, have long discouraged investors.

He says access to nuclear power would translate into lower household bills, reduced farm and business costs, and a stronger foundation for local industries.

But Labrador residents say they have learned their lesson from Sual.

“Electricity would supposedly be free or discounted. We’ve heard that before in Sual. It was promised to us,” Ferrer states.

That promise, he asserts, was broken.

“We pay the same rates as every household covered by Pangasinan Electric Cooperative I. We never benefited from lower electric bills, despite our town hosting the country’s biggest coal-fired power plant since 1999,” shares Johnny Gapuz, a Sual resident.

Residents also question the proponents’ promises of jobs for locals.

Read full article: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2179305/pangasinan-town-nuke-plan-faces-backlash?fbclid=IwY2xjawP2XDVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeq8UWc92DgrjnevuxTRk1XKY_o80RiE4VOaGnQPnN0ZnQ5tanSAGQab467Sw_aem_e_YXdIOZhEPhiTIAopjLaw