Manila Electric Co. should take an active role in preparing the Philippines for the eventual adoption of small, modular nuclear reactors to address future energy demand, particularly in the island provinces, the chairman of the country’s largest power distributor said.
Manuel V. Pangilinan told Context.ph in an exclusive interview that at this time when the latest nuclear power technology is still on the nascent stage, both the private sector and its regulator should prepare and equip themselves to deal with the next stage of the Philippine energy sector.
“We subscribe to the notion that since we are an archipelago, certain of the large provincial islands really need that, like Cebu, Negros, Bohol because the grid is not there to supply them (with electricity) adequately. So I think a small modular nuclear plant would be the answer,” said Pangilinan.
Last year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission finally approved the design of NuScale Power for a small modular reactor two years after it passed final safety evaluation. These nuclear reactors are small enough to be built in factories and can be easily shipped anywhere—reducing the cost and addressing safety concerns.
The design can generate 50 megaWatts but individual reactors could be combined to increase generation capacity. But like all other technology, it must first pass muster in the field before it could become available commercially.
And that, Pangilinan said, could take several years, a period that the Philippines should seize to prepare in terms of personnel expertise and safety regulations. He is certain that nuclear energy will eventually be an alternative source of electricity for the country, especially as demand for cleaner energy intensifies.
Clearly, nuclear power plants are a cleaner source of energy compared to coal-fired power stations, But nuclear plants are, admittedly, more dangerous to operate. Pangilinan said proper regulation could minimize the chances of disastrous nuclear accidents from happening.
“You don’t want a Chernobyl in the Philippines right?” said Pangilinan, referring to the then Russian power plant that in 1985 had suffered from one of the worst nuclear accidents that ruined the lives of 500,000 people and cost around $68 billion based on 2019 adjustments.
Many of the nuclear experts that would have run the mothballed 600 MW Bataan Nuclear Power Plant have probably taken their expertise and work elsewhere, or are now maybe too old to handle the new nuclear technology.
“I think Meralco should start educating these people abroad as long as they contractually agree to comeback,” he said.
