MANILA - The Philippines can turn to nuclear power to meet rising electricity demand without resorting to coal, which can damage the environment, a nuclear energy advocate said Monday.

Energy for Humanity Director Urs Bolt played down concerns on the safety of nuclear power saying the West has not suffered deaths related to nuclear radiation in the last 60 years.

"Coal is the fastest to build. Overall, the question is do you want clean or cheap energy? The challenge will be how fast you can replace coal and to still provide clean and cheap energy for the people. We have an extremely fast-rising demand," Bolt told ANC's Headstart.

"The question is do you want this technology now or you want to go for newer technology?" he said.

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Bolt said the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine in the 1980s should not discourage governments from adopting nuclear power. He said the accident in Fukushima, Japan that followed a powerful earthquake in 2011 also didn't result in casualties.

The most advanced nuclear reactors, he said, have minimal impact on the environment while producing cheap electricity.