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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Meralco lands $2.7-million USTDA grant for small-scale nuclear study

Meralco lands $2.7-million USTDA grant for small-scale nuclear study

Published Aug 14, 2025 02:35 pm
Keen to advance nuclear energy development, Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is set to receive funding support from the United States (US) government nearly three years after it first sought assistance to explore the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs).
On the sidelines of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines’ (AmCham) Eighth Annual Energy Forum, Ronnie L. Aperocho, Meralco’s executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO), disclosed the financial support to be received from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for its SMR study.
“We will be receiving a grant from USTDA, around $2.7 million, to help us in our study on the adoption of SMR in the Philippines… This will be formalized via a signing ceremony very soon,” he told reporters in an ambush interview.
The USTDA grant, valued at approximately ₱152 million, would help assess SMRs, which are said to generate an expected capacity of 300 to 500 megawatts (MW), according to the executive.
“They saw that Meralco is very serious and very aggressive. They probably saw we are the local player that is very, very aggressive and supportive [of] the nuclear agenda,” he added.
While Meralco continues its steady assessment of SMRs, Aperocho said the company may still explore larger nuclear facilities, including projects as large as Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP).
“We’re still open [to] conventional [nuclear plants]. The Bataan one, technically, is feasible. We’re willing to do it, although Bataan is around 600 MW plus.”
Amid ongoing SMR assessments, safety remains a key priority, with the Department of Energy (DOE) currently reviewing nuclear regulations to ensure the secure and sustainable use of modern nuclear technologies.
The Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) said that it has met with concerned government entities and stakeholders to examine existing laws and identify amendments or necessary enhancements to pursue a national legal framework.
DOE legal services director Myra Roa explained that this comprehensive review would address gaps before allowing nuclear developments.
“We want to make sure that all legal hurdles are cleared before we take major steps forward in fulfilling our nuclear power objectives. From the review of the laws and issuances, we will propose enactment or amendment of laws as appropriate,” she said.
“We want to seize every opportunity to get things done right on the potential use of nuclear energy for the benefit of our people,” Roa added.

Related Tags

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP)
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