The Philippines Advances Nuclear Power Planning, Aims for 1.2 GW by 2032

Recently, at the World Nuclear Supply Chain Conference held in Manila, the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it is fully committed to establishing the policy, regulatory, and commercial foundations for the country's first nuclear power project. The Philippine energy roadmap sets a target of achieving 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power installed capacity by 2032, with plans to further expand nuclear power scale to 4.8 GW by 2050.

It is understood that with domestic electricity demand growing at an average annual rate of 3.6% and primary energy dependence on imports reaching as high as 51.5%, the Philippine government has positioned nuclear energy as a strategic choice for ensuring national energy security and promoting low-carbon transition. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin emphasized that nuclear energy and renewable energy are not in competition but form baseload complementarity to facilitate the gradual retirement of aging coal-fired power plants and stabilize the national grid.

To realize the implementation of its first nuclear power project, the Philippines is comprehensively following the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Milestones approach, steadily advancing site evaluation, regulatory improvement, radioactive waste management, and talent development, while actively deepening transnational nuclear energy cooperation with Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Hungary. In addition, enterprises such as MGen, a subsidiary of private energy giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco), have launched feasibility studies on small modular reactors (SMRs) to accelerate the exploration of commercial nuclear power deployment pathways.

Patrick Aquino, Director of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau of the Philippine Department of Energy, stated that developing nuclear energy is a long-term national undertaking, and the pace of future project advancement will depend on institutional development, regulatory certainty, and the maturity of the industrial supply chain, so as to ensure that the first nuclear power plant built is safe, reliable, and economically viable.