BIZ BUZZ: Meralco keeps nuclear option
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) stays the course on its nuclear power quest, tapping a US-based engineering firm to explore the potential deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Philippines.
With Meralco PowerGen Corp., the group inked a deal with Sargent & Lundy, in partnership with local engineering firm AMH Philippines Inc., to launch a comprehensive feasibility study on SMRs.
This forms part of the $2.8-million technical assistance program funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), which Meralco secured in February.
The study, which is seen completed by the last stretch of 2027, will produce “a rigorous, data-driven basis for determining whether, when, and how SMRs” can beef up the country’s electricity mix. SMRs have a capacity ranging from 300 megawatts (MW) to 450 MW each.
Meralco said that it has created an SMR working group to work closely with the engineering firms.
“Partnering with Sargent & Lundy marks a pivotal step in turning our nuclear roadmap into actionable, data-driven decisions under our NEST (nuclear energy strategic transition) program,” MGEN president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio said in a statement.
“As we advance this USTDA-funded study, MGEN remains committed to exploring safe, reliable, and low-carbon technologies such as SMRs as we work to secure the Philippines’ long-term energy future and support the country’s economic growth,” he added.
Talks on nuclear energy advanced under the leadership of President Marcos, seemingly a continuation of what his father, late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., envisioned with the establishment of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The mothballed facility, however, was hounded by safety fears.
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