Government mulls Bataan nuclear plant privatization

MANILA, Philippines — The government is weighing the sale of the long-mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) after a feasibility study yielded encouraging results on its potential revival.

“One option for the government is to sell the property to a (power) developer,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said on the sidelines of the Philippine International Nuclear Energy Forum yesterday.

Another option, she said, is for the government to partner with a private energy company to rehabilitate the project, the only existing nuclear facility in Southeast Asia.

Garin stressed, however, that both options remain preliminary as the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to assess the BNPP’s viability and address longstanding safety concerns surrounding the asset.

The BNPP was the country’s first attempt to integrate nuclear power into its energy mix. Completed in the 1980s, the plant never became operational due to safety concerns and political issues.

The DOE earlier signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. for a comprehensive technical and economic feasibility study on the potential rehabilitation of the BNPP.

The study, which commenced in January 2025, found “positive” results for refurbishing the Bataan plant, including the estimated cost, Garin said.

It also found potential for building a new nuclear power plant.

Garin declined to provide further details, saying the release of the findings remains subject to South Korea’s consent, as it fully funded the study.

Still, the encouraging results have bolstered the energy chief’s confidence in the country’s nuclear power targets.

Under its existing roadmap, the Philippines aims to harness 1,200 megawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2032, increasing this to 2,400 MW by 2035 and 4,800 MW by 2050.

DOE director Patrick Aquino said the agency is gearing up for the country’s first nuclear capacity tender next year.

Under the proposed guidelines, the winning bidder will secure a ready market for its project and could also negotiate for sovereign support, government guarantees or other forms of state backing.

Without sovereign guarantees, Aquino said electricity generated from nuclear power plants could cost more than P9 per kilowatt-hour.

“That’s for the first 20 years. Once the plant has been operating for more than 20 years, it becomes cheaper,” he said.