PH, US ink deals to advance nuclear energy

From left below: TESDA Secretary Kiko Benitez, Philippine American-Educational Foundation (Fulbright Philippines) Executive Director Julio Amador III, MVP, USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy, Carlos Aboitiz From left above: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ann Ganzer, Sharon Garin, Amb. Babe Romualdez, DFA Usec. for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim —LISBET K. ESMAEL

The Philippines builds more support for its goal of having nuclear energy in the electricity generation mix by 2032, securing about $4.2 million in deals with the United States (US).

Government officials from the Philippines and the US, including top business executives, inked on Monday several memoranda of understanding to deploy nuclear energy,

The business leaders present at the signing event were Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) Ronnie Aperocho, Meralco PowerGen Corp. president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio, and Aboitiz Power chief corporate services officer Carlos Aboitiz.

According to the US government, the new initiatives are part of the Trump administration’s aim to “export cutting-edge American nuclear technologies” to its allies.

Meralco finally obtained on Monday a $2.7-million grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to finance its feasibility study on tapping small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Philippines. SMRs have a capacity ranging from 300 to 450 MW.

“Meralco sees this grant as the beginning of a long but necessary journey,” Pangilinan said in his speech.

“Meralco is also looking actually at not only SMRs — depends on the horizon by which we are able to deploy — but also, perhaps a bit sooner, on conventional nuclear plants for this country,” he added.

The country gets another $1.5 million for a nuclear reactor control room simulator, provided by the State Department’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program.