7 nuclear plant sites bared as PH moves closer to atomic power

Four years after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. first called for a fresh look at nuclear power, the Philippines is moving closer to a decision on whether, where and how to build its first operating nuclear power plant. The Department of Energy (DOE) has identified seven potential sites in five provinces as the government studies ways to finance nuclear projects, working toward adding 1.4 gigawatts of nuclear capacity within 12 years.

Two potential sites are in Bataan and another two in Palawan, while Masbate, Pangasinan and Camarines Norte have one site each. Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the potential sites passed preliminary desktop evaluations and multidisciplinary field surveys conducted by the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee.

“Crucially, they clear our strict exclusionary safety criteria,” he said in a message. “This means these potential sites are situated more than two kilometers away from active faults, possess ground elevations of at least 12 meters above mean sea level to clear modeled tsunami heights, and fall outside the permanent danger zones and hazard maps of active volcanoes.”

Bacordo noted that the DOE’s criteria are anchored on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards.

Private sector moving in

The government says public acceptance is moving in its favor. The DOE cited a survey that showed support for nuclear energy rising from 79 percent in 2019 to 82 percent in 2024. With this in view, the government is preparing to move to the second phase of the IAEA Milestones Approach, a key step in building the institutions and systems needed for a nuclear program.

Part of the Phase 2 preparations includes exploring financing options for deploying the new technology, including public-private partnerships, consortium arrangements, build-own-operate models and vendor-supported financing. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin earlier said the agency was exploring incentives to attract investors into the emerging nuclear sector.

The private sector is beginning to position itself. In March, Manila Electric Co., led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, formed a nuclear partnership with South Korean companies to explore technical and financial pathways. Aboitiz Power, which had previously been cautious about nuclear technology, has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.

Building the rules

So far, the government has advanced its nuclear program by laying its legal and institutional foundation through executive orders, strengthening international cooperation, conducting feasibility studies with foreign partners, and implementing recommendations from the IAEA’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review. The DOE said its immediate priorities include operationalizing the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority and completing its implementing rules and regulations.

“Nuclear energy is not simply about deciding to build a power plant,” Bacordo said. “We must build the institutions, the regulatory system, the technical capability, the financing framework, and the public confidence to support it. Our progress shows that the Philippines is putting those foundations in place.”

From an idea to a program

When Marcos delivered his first State of the Nation Address in July 2022, he placed nuclear power within a broader strategy to solve what he described as a basic problem: electricity demand was outpacing reliable supply. “We must build new power plants,” Mr. Marcos said, calling for a broader mix of traditional and renewable sources. He then made a significant departure from the energy policies that had dominated the discussion for years. “I believe that it is time also to reexamine our strategy towards building nuclear power plants in the Philippines.”

Four years later

In his fifth Sona last July 27, Mr. Marcos returned explicitly to nuclear power. “Pushing the envelope further, perhaps it is time for us to revisit nuclear energy production,” he said. Mr. Marcos argued that nuclear power could reinforce the country’s energy security and reduce electricity costs, while stressing that the government would ensure safety and explain the benefits of nuclear energy to the public.

Previously, he said the country would comply with IAEA safety rules strengthened after the Fukushima disaster and pointed to newer technologies, including smaller modular nuclear plants. He also said public-private partnerships would be needed because government funding was limited.

Four years later, the groundwork is considerably more advanced. The administration has incorporated nuclear power into its long-term energy planning, pursued cooperation with the United States and South Korea, and developed the institutional and regulatory framework needed to support a commercial nuclear program. The government’s nuclear roadmap envisions an initial plant that can generate 1,200 megawatts, with construction targeted around 2028 and grid connection around 2032. Longer term, the program aims for as much as 4,800 MW of nuclear capacity by 2050.

The BNPP question

In September 2025, Mr. Marcos signed the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, creating the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, or PhilATOM, as an independent regulator with exclusive jurisdiction over nuclear safety and security. The government has also studied the possible rehabilitation of the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

Authorized in the 1970s and completed in the early 1980s, the BNPP was designed as a 620-MW pressurized-water reactor. It cost the country billions of dollars but never generated commercial electricity. The facility was mothballed after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution amid concerns over safety, corruption and its vulnerability to earthquakes and volcanic hazards.

In October 2024, Mr. Marcos and then South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol witnessed the signing of an agreement between the DOE and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for a technical and economic feasibility study on rehabilitating the BNPP. But the government has not committed to simply turning the old reactor back on.