The country's first and only nuclear reactor training facility has formally opened its doors to stakeholders and the academic community after attaining a fully-operational status, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) announced.

The Philippine Research Reactor – 1 Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education and Research (PRR-1 SATER) was granted the authorization to operate nine months after its formal commissioning. allowing them to fulfill the growing need for advanced training and research requirements.

The PRR-1 SATER is a subcritical reactor with a zero-power configuration designed to be inherently safe for use in nuclear-related training, education, and research.

It will support PNRI-initiated education programs and courses, including reactor engineering, neutron physics, reactor physics, nuclear safety, and radiation dosimetry, among others.

PNRI has entered into partnerships with educational institutions to start offering courses, such as in UP Diliman since 2019 and Mapua University since 2020.

"Built as part of the US Atoms for Peace program, the original PRR-1 facility was inaugurated in 1963 and was operational until its shutdown in 1988, leaving the country with no operating nuclear facility for the last 34 years. With the establishment of the PRR-1 SATER, the Philippines is now one step back on track in re-establishing its nuclear capabilities," DOST-PNRI said.

Last June 21, DOST-PNRI said that began loading TRIGA nuclear fuel in the core of PRR-1 SATER ), signaling the start of its nuclear commissioning.

The TRIGA fuel is a uranium zirconium hydride alloy manufactured by General Atomics from the United States and is well-known for its inherent safety.

DOST-PNRI stated that the PRR-1 facility was shut down in 1988, leaving the country with no operating nuclear facility for the last 34 years. The commissioning of the PRR-1 SATER is a milestone for the country as the facility will provide significant support in re-establishing nuclear capabilities in the Philippines.

Classified as subcritical and with zero-power configuration, the PRR-1 SATER is inherently safe as a facility for nuclear education and research. It will support PNRI-initiated nuclear education programs that are being offered at UP Diliman since 2019 and Mapua University since 2020.

Nuclear-related courses that can be supported by the facility include nuclear reactor engineering, neutron physics, reactor physics, nuclear safety, and radiation dosimetry, among others.