The Philippines is targeting 1,200 megawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2032 to strengthen energy security, DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said Tuesday during the opening of the World Nuclear Supply Chain and Philippine International Nuclear Energy Forum 2026.
“These developments are bringing renewed attention to nuclear power as a reliable, low-carbon source of electricity,” Garin said, adding the US and Israel’s war on Iran “has emphasized this.”
She added the Philippines needs more baseload and wants a clean baseload, which has prompted pursuit of nuclear energy..
According to Garin, the country’s nuclear roadmap targets 1,200 MW of capacity by 2032, 2,400 MW by 2035, and 4,800 MW by 2050, subject to factors including the availability of small modular reactors (SMRs).
“Nuclear energy will complement our renewable energy targets of at least 35 percent of electricity generation in 2030, 50 percent in 2040, and 50 percent in 2050,” she said.
She added nuclear should not be seen as competing with renewable energy. “They complement each other, and we need both of those technologies,” she said.
She said a feasibility study funded by South Korea found that developing nuclear power in Bataan is viable, such as refurbishing the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), building a new conventional reactor, or using small modular reactors (SMRs).
“It’s one of the best sites that we probably have kasi doon lang na-construct ‘yung dati. What does that mean? The transmission is there, infrastructure is there, ‘di ba? May may kalye na, and then it passed all the test for the sites, ah ‘yung safety ng mga test natin,” she said.
She cautioned that the 2032 target would depend largely on the availability of SMR, saying that conventional nuclear plants could take about 10 years to build.
Garin also said the government has identified potential nuclear power sites for assessment.
“Bataan is one. There’s Masbate that’s interested, and I think there was one for Pangasinan, and then also another one in Palawan,” she said.
Meanwhile, Patrick Aquino, director of the DOE’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau, said the government is working with the Energy Regulatory Commission to develop pricing guidelines.
“If it’s commercial … there’s possible cost overruns, it can be higher than P9 per kilowatt-hour. But if everything works, it’s competitive, so it’s going to come in lower than that,” he said.
He also said the Philippines’ 123 Agreement with the United States has been signed, with administrative arrangements still being finalized.
“Ang benefits nun kasi, ang nuclear technology, marami dun sa supply chain dumadaan sa America. Bago tayo nagkaroon ng 123 agreement, bawal eh,” he said.
On safety, Aquino said any nuclear plant must comply with International Atomic Energy Agency requirements.
He also claimed that the mothballed BNPP had been safe to operate, saying the government would not have procured the fuel for it otherwise. The fuel was sold in the 1990s, he said.
Source: ABS-CBN