DUBAI, UAE – Danish nuclear firm Seaborg Technologies is eyeing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Energy (DOE) on targeted deployment of its sea-based small modular reactor (SMR) technology in the Philippines.

In an interview during a side event at the just-concluded COP28 Climate Change Summit, Denmark Ambassador to the Philippines Franz-Michael Mellbin said “Seaborg and another Danish nuclear company are interested to have MOU with the Philippines on SMR technology – so we’ll be working on this with the DOE.”

The ambassador noted “we want to push this MOU forward because the SMR technology of Seaborg is very promising into reaching a technological breakthrough. Seaborg, of course, is interesting because it is a seaborne solution, so that has a lot of advantage.”

The deal being pursued with the Philippine government, according to the Danish envoy, is akin to what Seaborg has already worked on with the neighboring markets of Indonesia and Vietnam.

In those agreements, Mellbin explained that the two ASEAN countries already pinpointed the specific sites where Seaborg could potentially deploy its SMR which is underpinned by compact molten salt reactor (CMSR) technology.

“The target for the MOU with the Philippines would be like what Seaborg had done in other markets like Indonesia and Vietnam -- they got specific, dedicated sites. These governments said: this is where you can start looking at establishing SMR,” the ambassador stressed.

He emphasized that once the SMR technology of the Danish firm already reaches commercial scale rollout, Seaborg would already have ready counterpart people to work with in these markets – primarily in terms of planning as well as preparation for warranted investments and tech deployments in the future.

“There are already sites set for the SMR technology of Seaborg in these markets (Indonesia and Vietnam) – and that’s what Seaborg would want to explore here in the Philippines also,” Mellbin added.

Being a barge-structured solution, the Danish ambassador indicated that decommissioning of the nuclear facility will not be much of a contentious concern because the facility can be easily moved to another place – and that is seen as a major comparative advantage for Seaborg. Plus, since this is not a land-based technology, the typical community resistance for nuclear power installations may also be eased.

“If they can get their solution up and running, then Seaborg has a great future because it really has huge advantage that you don’t have to be on land. I think everybody should keep our doors open for SMR, and the Philippines is wise on keeping the door open for this technology. SMR will not solve everything – and in an energy system, this is not the only solution, it’s going to be combination of various things,” he said.

Beyond nuclear reactor deployment, Seaborg will also be offering to the Philippine energy market the storage potential of its technology – and that’s also intended to be part of the MOU, according to the Danish ambassador.

“This Seaborg solution can also be used for energy storage and that’s actually very interesting –they are building the first commercial version of this energy storage. We need cheap industrial-size energy storage and sodium can also store energy very efficiently,” Mellbin conveyed.

The ambassador similarly highlighted that while many companies experimenting and piloting SMR projects all over the world have been snagged with cost-overrun predicaments, Seaborg has been propitiously spared from that kind of financial strain.

Apart from Seaborg, the other Danish nuclear company that has been setting its sights on the Philippine market has a land-based solution.

“There’s one other SMR company that may join. We will be talking to them about this – they have a land-based solution, so they are a more traditional technology,” he stated.