Philippines to host global nuke supply chain event in November

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in Bagac is surrounded by wide roads and an elevated landscape to mitigate nuclear accidents. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA - The Philippines' Department of Energy said the country will host the International Nuclear Supply Chain Forum this November.

The DOE said the event, which will be held from Nov. 13 to 15, will gather stakeholders to discuss the latest innovations and best practices in the nuclear energy industry.

"The event will take place at Solaire Resort North in Quezon City, with participants from the international nuclear supply chain, power generation companies, government agencies, embassies, academia, media, and other key sectors expected to attend the three-day forum," the DOE said.

Experts from the United States, Canada, France, Japan and South Korea are set to attend the event.

"We are bringing together companies from countries with proven track records in building and maintaining the critical infrastructure needed by the energy sector. This forum will showcase their innovations and best practices, offering the Philippines the opportunity to learn and benefit from their experiences," the DOE  said.

Although the Philippines has no operating nuclear power plant, the Marcos administration is looking to add nuclear power to the country's energy mix. The Marcos administration recently signed an agreement with the US on nuclear energy cooperation.

Philippine power distributor Meralco has also said that it is interested in using small modular nuclear reactors.

Recently, the Philippines also inked a deal with South Korea for a feasibility study on rehabilitating the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

The DOE said the Philippines aims to have its first nuclear power plants operational by 2032, with an initial capacity of 1,200 MW, expanding to 2,400 MW by 2035 and reaching 4,800 MW by 2050, as outlined in the Philippine Energy Plan.