Undersecretary Garin declared 2024 as the landmark year for the nuclear goals of the Philippines, signaling the declaration of the nuclear strategy.
The Philippines is going to make a historic leap into the nuclear era. It has plans to open its first commercial operational nuclear power plant and produce 1,200 MW of electricity by 2032.
A top official predicts this capacity will gradually increase and reach an ambitious 4,800 MW by 2050.
This ambitious plan was revealed by Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Sharon Garin, marking a significant step towards the goals of the country to produce 50% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040.
Undersecretary Garin declared 2024 as the landmark year for the nuclear goals of the Philippines, signalling the declaration of the nuclear strategy.
This comprehensive nuclear plan, created in collaboration with the Milestones Approach of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sets the direction of the nuclear energy program.
When Garin spoke to international experts at the 68th IAEA General Conference in Vienna in September, he stressed that the government is determined to include nuclear energy in its power generation mix.
However, the renewable energy industry is already facing challenges with this move. Solar and wind power have advanced rapidly in recent years with the help of established businesses and startups.
Leading Filipino tycoons are also increasing their multi-gigawatt power-generating capacity along with grid-scale batteries, and 3,500 MW of pumped-storage hydroelectric power projects are currently in the permitting stage.
Furthermore, there have been disagreements along the path to nuclear power.
The renowned Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), a project that started in 1970, remains an unsettling reminder of the past.
The plant cost Filipino taxpayers more than $2 billion and never produced a single watt of energy. It had corruption and structural and geological defects. The last payments were received for this disastrous project in 2007, decades after work started.
Now, with its goal fixed for the future, the Philippines is stepping up its efforts in renewable energy and nuclear power.
Investors in renewable energy are lining up for mega projects after the government decided to permit 100% foreign participation in renewable energy projects and green lane processing involving significant projects.
Manila-based Citicore Renewable Energy Corp (CREC) is considering eight new projects, which now manage solar facilities with a combined capacity of 285 MW across the country. The company wants to construct a 5,000-megawatt solar power generating capacity in five years. It raised 5.5 billion ($94 million) from its first public offering in June.
Additionally, the Philippines plans to construct 20 high- and medium-sized hydroelectric dams by 2028, with 10 of those dams scheduled to begin construction in 2024.
At the same time, a Danish company has invested $3 billion to build a massive offshore wind farm with a capacity of 1 GW in San Miguel Bay, Camarines Sur.
Garin emphasized the government’s efforts to create an independent nuclear regulatory body to guarantee the safe and secure advancement of the energy program as the Philippines moves forward.
She also said they are proposing urgent nuclear safety legislation to safeguard natural security, the environment, and public health.
The DOE-led Nuclear Energy Program and Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) is at the center of this nuclear push, which has taken a whole-of-government approach to addressing the 19 infrastructure challenges listed by the IAEA.
The Philippines will host the International Nuclear Supply Chain Forum in Manila this November to attract collaboration from international countries. It will bring together individuals from the public and private sectors to discuss potential partnerships to develop nuclear energy.
Undersecretary Garin also restated that the country is committed to using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including electricity, health care, agriculture, and environmental preservation.
She stated that nuclear technology has improved millions of lives by bringing about transformative benefits in many fields.
The National Energy Program (NEP) was formally adopted by Executive Order No. 164, indicating that the Philippines is ready to accept nuclear power and pave the way for the next chapter in the history of the country’s energy.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is willing to explore nuclear power, especially the next generation of small modular reactors (SMRs), to give Filipino homes and businesses affordable electricity.
