Philippines keen on including nuclear in energy mix

SINGAPORE – The Philippines is seriously considering including nuclear energy in its energy mix as it strives to lure investments in data centers and other industries that can increase the power demand.

President Marcos said the country has to produce enough power to support industries if it wants to be part of the value chain for artificial intelligence (AI) and the digital economy.

“We’re serious about nuclear power because even as we stand now, we’re okay in terms of power generation for the Philippines,” the President told reporters here last Sunday.

“But everybody knows that what’s coming down the road is our data centers, is AI. And I think everybody by now knows that the demand for power is going to increase at a very, very high rate. So yes, nuclear is one of the options that we have available to us that we are looking at very, very close to go along with,” he added.

Marcos reiterated that the Philippines has to look at other power sources, noting that the war in the Middle East has highlighted the country’s vulnerability to price shocks.

“We are very, very vulnerable. Ninety-nine percent of our oil is imported. Only one-third of our gas is indigenous,” he said.

During the presidency of Marcos’ late father and namesake, the government built the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant as a response to an oil crisis in the 1970s. The facility was mothballed in 1986 over safety concerns and corruption allegations.

Last year, Marcos signed the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act to craft a legal framework to govern and facilitate the peaceful, safe and secure uses of nuclear energy and to protect people and the environment against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address last July, he cited the need revisit nuclear energy production, noting that the Philippines is already using nuclear energy in medicine, in agriculture, water filtration and plastic upcycling.

During his visit to the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute last Saturday, Marcos said people are more concerned about ensuring access to cheap power regardless of its source.