MANILA – Philippine companies that are eyeing to invest in small modular reactors (SMRs) are eyeing inclusion in the targeted negotiation for a trade agreement with the United States for planned nuclear technology installations in the country.
According to Aboitiz Power Corporation President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio, there were already preliminary discussions on a trade deal that has been happening between the United States and Philippine governments, but the industry players opined that the missing component in the equation is on cornering inputs from prospective private investors.
“There is a government of Philippines and US team working – we were invited to meet with US Treasury Climate Council and my suggestion is: why don’t you include private sector, so the private sector could provide inputs as well,” he said.
Rubio indicated that the last conversation in which private investors had been included was when the past Duterte administration issued a Circular on the country’s nuclear power development program.
Following that, he qualified that “we’ve not been invited to any further discussions so far” – in reference to the propounded trade agreement that the two countries will need to cement if Philippine companies will eventually tap SMRs for deployments in the country.
“I think it’s the right thing to do – to include more private sector participants as much as possible, include even the communities so they have understanding what this technology is all about – because we might introduce already the technology here — then because of the negative perception of nuclear, we’ll get opposition,” Rubio emphasized.
The portended trade agreement with the US on prospective nuclear technology adoption in the Philippines is a highly necessary covenant, because that will guarantee safe, transparent and standardized protocols in the operation of these facilities.
Aboitiz Power is one of the leading power providers in the Philippines that has sounded off interest to opt for nuclear technology as a solution to the country’s long term power needs.
As envisioned by the Department of Energy (DOE), nuclear power’s integration into the country’s energy mix will likely take off by 2032 at 1,200 megawatts of targeted capacity; then it will be ramped up to 2,400MW by 2035; and 4,800MW by 2050.
In the case of Aboitiz Power, Rubio conveyed that they will be visiting the SMR facilities of American companies NuScale Power and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation next month to get first hand and comprehensive view on how these SMRs are being developed and deployed in the US market.
“All we’re doing in Aboitiz is really understanding the technology; really understanding who are the leading developers of SMRs and we have a shortlist …we are visiting them third week of October – NuScale and Ultrasafe, those are the options right now,” he stated.
The next study tour being slated by the company will be for the SMR deployments in Canada, which it is scheduling to visit by the first quarter of 2024.
Rubio echoed views that nuclear technology deployments in the country must be done when other markets have already experienced most of the ‘teething issues’, so these technical dilemmas can already be fixed before the SMRs would reach Philippine shores.
On a global scale, licensing processes for the SMR technologies are anticipated between 2028-2029; while commercial-scale rollouts may likely be concretized by 2030. (MB)
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