The Philippine government, through the Department of Energy (DOE), is eyeing to cement new nuclear agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Argentina to solidify strategic partnerships that will aid the country in its renewed interest to plunge into nuclear power investments.

In an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin, Energy Undersecretary Sharon S. Garin indicated that there are already preliminary discussions with government representatives of both countries, essentially setting the stage toward firming up a deal on nuclear development collaboration.

“There’s the UAE that we still have to negotiate with; and there’s also possibility of Argentina,” she conveyed as to the line-up of countries that the Philippines can join forces with on the targeted buildup of new nuclear power plants to underpin the country’s long-term energy future.

For the UAE, in particular, Garin said the tenor of prospective agreement may latch onto the clean technology collaborative framework, emphasizing that “it’s more of transition or clean energy type, not just covering nuclear; but clean tech in general—it could cover others like renewables or even gas, so it depends on what we agree upon, but that’s the idea.”

The UAE’s Nawah Energy Corporation, which is majority-owned by state-run Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), operates the 5,600-megawatt (MW) Barakah nuclear power facility with four phased installations in Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi.

When the Emirati government hosted the United Nations-led COP28 Climate Change Summit in 2023, the Barakah nuclear power facility was spotlighted as a key infrastructure to usher the UAE into its 2050 net zero strategy.

In Argentina’s case, it is a pioneering force in the nuclear energy journey of Latin America, as its 362-MW pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) Atucha 1 facility sited in Lima, Buenos Aires province, serves as the first nuclear power plant ever developed in that part of the world.

The other nuclear power fleets of Argentina are the 656-MW Embalse nuclear facility in Cordoba province—this was on commercial stream since 1984 and equipped with Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor; then the PHWR Atucha 2 project with 693-MW capacity, which reached commercial operations phase in 2016.

The targeted new nuclear pacts with Argentina and the UAE will add to the growing list of nuclear diplomacy partners that the Philippines has already signed agreements with—primarily those of the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Hungary.

While fortifying global alliances, the DOE and other relevant government agencies are similarly advancing targeted milestones for the country’s new leap into the nuclear development space—including the passage of a law that will reinforce capital flow into the sector while also ensuring safe and secure operations of the prospective installations.

In parallel, comprehensive site assessments are underway to determine the optimal locations for future nuclear facilities, as the government also accelerates efforts on developing a resilient and robust supply chain that will eventually support nuclear power projects.

Further, the government is sorting out the planned structure for the off-take or power supply agreements (PSAs) that can de-risk investors’ market concerns—this pressing issue demands immediate clarification as its resolution will serve as a critical linchpin in guiding prospective players toward well-informed investment decisions.