Philippines
Waking the sleeping giant
Philippines eyeing micronuclear reactors . Is the country prepared for potential risks ?
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr . has set an ambitious goal to cut the Philippines ’ greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030 and increase the production of clean energy so that 50 percent comes from renewable sources by the year 2040 . And faced with depleting natural gas sources and a looming energy crisis , the Philippines is reviving its longstalled plan to develop nuclear energy infrastructure in the country .
“ We see nuclear energy becoming a part of the Philippine energy mix by 2032 , and we would be more than happy to pursue this path with the United States as one of our partners ,” Marcos said after the signing of the “ Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy ” between the Philippines and the United States on Nov . 16 .
Also known as “ 123 Agreement ,” the deal would provide a legal basis to facilitate the shipment of nuclear equipment from the U . S . to the Philippines to develop small modular reactors and other civilian nuclear energy projects .
“ The signing of this agreement marks the culmination of negotiations between our governments launched less than one year ago ,” according to Ann Ganzer , principal deputy assistant secretary in the U . S . Department of State ’ s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation .
Ganzer said the development of the nuclear energy sector in the Philippines would fuel a reliable , secure , and affordable clean energy future for the Asian country .
“ As peak energy demands are expected to nearly quadruple in the Philippines by 2040 , nuclear power can consistently produce enough energy to meet communities ’ critical needs without emitting more greenhouse gases ,” U . S . Secretary of State Antony Blinken said . “ In a nation of more than 7,000 islands , small modular reactors – some just the size of a city bus – can generate energy locally and conveniently .”
He added that nuclear energy will also create economic opportunities for American and Filipino businesses , entailing high-paying jobs . “ All of these are reasons why today we are signing this 123 Agreement – to create a framework for our civil nuclear cooperation ,” Blinken said .
Nuclear energy is not exactly a novel idea in the Philippines . Marcos Jr .’ s father , the late dictator Ferdinand Macros Sr . built a nuclear plant comprising two 600 MWe units in Bataan in response to the oil crisis in 1973 . However , due to financial issues and safety concerns related to earthquakes , the plant was never loaded with fuel or operated . It has been referred to as a sleeping giant .
The Chernobyl disaster in April 1986 fueled an anti-nuclear energy movement in the Philippines , prompting then-President Corazon Aquino to mothball the plant project , which was marred by corruption and described by critics as a white elephant .
In 2008 an International Atomic Energy Agency mission commissioned by the government advised that Bataan could be refurbished and economically operated for 30 years . Refurbishment , with an upgrade to safety and instrumentation and control systems , was estimated to cost $ 800 million to $ 1 billion .
The possible revival of the Bataan plant remains under consideration , but the Department of Energy is also looking into building a new nuclear plant using small modular reactor technology .
Nuclear energy is not exactly a novel idea in the Philippines . Marcos Jr .’ s father , the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr . built a nuclear plant comprising two 600 MWe units in Bataan in response to the oil crisis in 1973 .
In November 2022 DOE Undersecretary of Energy Sharon Garin said it would cost $ 2.3 billion to refurbish and start up mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant .
The resurrection of the nuclear energy plan is anticipated to reawaken the antinuclear movement in the Philippines , especially on the heels of a controversy over Japan ’ s unpopular decision to discharge ALP-treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean .
The Philippines has been flirting with nuclear power way back in the 20th century , according to Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla .
A decade after the first atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima , Philippines , under President Ramon Magsaysay , joined in 1955 the Atoms for Peace program initiated by U . S . President Dwight Eisenhower . Building on this foundation , the succeeding administration , led by President Carlos Garcia , established in 1958 the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission . President Diosdado Macapagal in turn initiated in 1963 the pre-investment study for a nuclear power plant in Luzon .
“ The pace of Philippine nuclear power development efforts stepped up under President Ferdinand Marcos , Sr ., with the signing of a new Philippine-U . S . agreement for cooperation concerning civil uses of atomic energy on June 13 , 1968 ,” Lotilla said . “ This agreement superseded the 1955 agreement and , for the first time , explicitly referred to the design , construction , and operation of power-producing reactors and research reactors . Three days after , the Philippine Congress approved the Atomic Energy Regulatory and Liability Act .
In 1971 , the National Power Corp . was authorized by law to establish and operate nuclear power plants .
Fast forward to the present administration , Marcos Jr . is seeking to resurrect his father ’ s dormant project . “ I called then for the re-evaluation of the possibility of safely developing nuclear energy in the Philippines , recognizing the enormous potential of nuclear energy given the new highly advanced technologies and standards of safety , security , and all the different safeguards that are now in place ,” he said after the signing of the 123 Agreement .