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DOE: Gov't carefully assessing potential sites for future Philippine nuclear plants
DOE: Gov't carefully assessing potential sites for future Philippine nuclear plants
The Department of Energy (DOE) is assessing various sites for future nuclear power plants, including possible locations in the western regions of the Philippines.
In a recent ambush interview, DOE Undersecretary Sharon Garin shared that while these potential sites are still being evaluated against specific criteria, several areas across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have already been identified as possibilities for nuclear development.
“We have evaluated sites, but that’s still not final; it’s like [the DOE is] practicing [its] criteria,” she told reporters.
“So we assess, for example, [in] Bataan [province, the municipalities of] Morong [and] Mariveles. We’ve also assessed somewhere in Bulacan, [and] in Batangas.”
While these provincial areas already have large populations, Garin is also hopeful about the possibility of building other nuclear-related infrastructures, such as data centers, in the future.
“We’ve also assessed down south. There’s a lot—Masbate, Palawan, we’ve also gone there—some of them qualify because there [are] metrics.”
She also said that Western Visayas could be a viable location for hosting nuclear facilities, along with other regional areas that are less likely to be affected by tsunamis.
“Palawan is really one of the most stable [in terms of geology]. The problem [there] is the grid—it’s not connected.”
According to Garin, the DOE is closely looking at areas that are far from fault lines and volcanoes.
She emphasized, however, that these are not confirmed sites for development, adding that, “I don’t want to announce what the specific areas have passed because it might cause some anxiety among people.”
The Energy Undersecretary assured that the government is making significant progress in its preparations, including conducting surveys, developing frameworks, and forming key partnerships, such as the 123 Agreement with the United States (US). She expressed optimism that once legal and regulatory requirements are finalized, the country will be ready to begin issuing construction licenses by 2026.
“The DOE is preparing [the studies], who will off-take this, who’s going to purchase. We’re studying that this year, [and] I think all the private companies are interested.”
She mentioned big energy players in the industry, namely Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower), Prime Energy Resources Development B.V., and GNPower Ltd. Co., which is a partnership between AboitizPower’s Therma Power Inc. (TPI) and Ayala-led ACEN Corp.