Interest in PH nuclear projects ‘very high’
Investor appetite for nuclear energy development in the Philippines remains strong even as the government continues to refine policies, sites, and financing structures for the country’s commercial projects.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said in an interview that major private-sector players are actively positioning themselves while awaiting clearer government guidance on site selection and feasibility results.
“All of these big companies–they all want to go nuclear,” Garin said. She added that developers view nuclear power as a potential solution for baseload supply and the surging electricity needs of data centers.
“They’re very interested and they’re waiting for us to finalize the site selection and the site evaluation.”
According to Garin, the Department of Energy (DOE) has yet to receive any formal proposals.
“They only have ideas for now, PowerPoint presentations, but more than a proposal, it’s more of an interest,” she said.
The energy chief also noted that several companies have begun approaching the DOE to enter into non-exclusive memorandum of agreement (MOA) for exploratory studies.
“We are still drafting several MOAs to facilitate the studies of power plants,” she said.
Garin cited Aboitiz Power, Meralco’s MGen, GNPower, San Miguel, Prime Infra, and other small and large firms as among those engaging the government on this matter.
“To be fair to Meralco, they’ve been very aggressive in pursuing nuclear energy. As for the other companies, I’m not sure if I’m at liberty to name them, but they’re all interested. I’d even say it’s possible that some of them may eventually join forces to develop nuclear power,” she said.
Meanwhile, despite changes in other sectors, Garin said DOE policies on nuclear energy will continue uninterrupted.
