As the Philippines continues to use energy from renewable sources, it is also gradually moving forward to adapting nuclear power for its energy needs which was confirmed by the secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), according to a news article by BusinessMirror.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessMirror news article. Some parts in boldface…
THE Philippines maintains aggressive targets to shift its energy portfolio toward green power. To provide clean, stable baseload power generation that complements renewables, the country has stepped on the gas to advance its nuclear goals.
“I think nuclear is the next step because we are already maturing on renewables and it’s difficult to be dependent on imported fuel. That’s really very painful for us when things don’t go well around the world,” said Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin in an interview.
The energy chief is leading the Philippines’ push to integrate nuclear energy into the national power mix, targeting 1,200 megawatts (MW) of nuclear capacity by 2032 and scaling up to 4,800MW by 2050. This timeline is heavily anchored on the commercial rollout of small nuclear reactors (SMRs). The agency is looking at locations including Bataan, Batangas, Masbate, Pangasinan, Palawan, and Camarines Norte as potential nuclear sites.
“All the companies are interested: Meralco, Aboitiz, San Miguel, Prime Infra. All of them are interested because they know that with nuclear, it’s not a matter of if, but when,” said Garin, adding that since the law does not allow the government to be involved in the power generation, “maybe the government can have a minimal stake only.”
Meralco’s power generation arm, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN), agrees that nuclear power provides a reliable, low-carbon baseload source that reduces exposure to volatile global fossil fuel prices.
“As I said, it’s an option, right? And if you really want energy independence with a baseload profile, then nuclear is one of the clear options,” said MGEN president Emmanuel Rubio in an interview.
The Pangilinan-led Meralco is among the major industry players driving this transition. It has engaged a US-based engineering firm, Sargent & Lundy, and AMH Philippines, Inc. to conduct a feasibility study on deploying SMRs in the Philippines.
The comprehensive study is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2027. The study marks the next step in the $2.8-million technical assistance program funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) also agreed to pursue joint pre-feasibility studies, information sharing, and capacity-building activities related to nuclear technologies.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines will succeed in achieving its nuclear goals over the next several years? Are members of your local community still afraid of nuclear power?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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