PH whipping up ASEAN neighbors' interest in nuclear power
At A Glance
- Apart from the Philippines, the energy markets in the region which evaluated or have been setting their sights on nuclear power include those of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
- In the bigger core of the Asian continent, the mature energy markets which already achieved advancement in industrial developments with the aid of nuclear power as their primary energy source had been South Korea and Japan; while China is positioning as the 'nuclear powerhouse' of the world.
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The heightened interest of the Philippines on nuclear energy as part of its long-term energy solution has so far been whipping up the curiosity of neighbors in the Southeast Asian region to also weigh in this technology into their energy mix.
During the Indo-Pacific Business Forum, Energy Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla stated that
“the renewed interest in civilian uses of nuclear power is now viewed by many of the Southeast Asian countries as a viable option.”
Apart from the Philippines, the energy markets in the region which evaluated or have been setting their sights on nuclear power include those of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“We can assure you that among the energy ministers of ASEAN, this is one topic that indeed is at the back of their minds, if not up front of their planning,” Lotilla stressed.
In the bigger core of the Asian continent, the mature energy markets which already achieved advancement in industrial developments with the aid of nuclear power as their primary energy source had been South Korea and Japan; while China is positioning as the ‘nuclear powerhouse’ of the world.
The energy chief conveyed that in the updating of the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) winding up to 2050, “we included for the first time nuclear power in the Philippines and we look forward to exploring the different opportunities for attaining this.”
The viable timeframe targeted by the Department of Energy (DOE) to reintroduce nuclear in the country’s power mix will be mid-2030s, but it may still come sooner if the planned repowering of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) would turn into commercial fruition.
On the country’s nuclear renaissance ambition, the Philippines has been leaning on utmost support being extended by many foreign development-partners – including succor from the American government, as funneled via the United States Agency for International Development.
Toward this particular end, the DOE chief primarily cited the formation of working groups to be spearheaded by the US government - bringing together all the interested firms and parties in fleshing out the services and technology offers that can be explored as opportunities in the civilian nuclear space.
Beyond nuclear, the Energy Secure Philippines (ESP) program of the USAID has also been a passionate ally in advancing the country’s clean energy transition agenda – not just with renewable energy (RE) investments but also for the concretization of the planned Smart and Green Grid Plan.
“In the case of the USAID, they have been with us for over the years in the development of the Clean Energy Program of the Philippines,” Lotilla narrated.
Fundamentally, he noted that the USAID extended technical assistance “which allowed us to study the option of opening the renewable energy sector to up to 100% foreign ownership.”
That collaboration, according to Lotilla, also provided added latitude for Philippine American Educational Foundation (PAEF) to help advance “training for the clean energy sector in developing the human resources needed.”