The president of Philippines has signed an executive order allowing nuclear power to be included in the country’s energy mix as the government transitions away from coal-fired power facilities in order to meet its climate targets. On February 28, 2022 the order was signed and it was made public on March 3, 2022. According to NHK World-Japan, coal-fired power plants currently serve around 60 per cent of the Philippines’ overall energy needs.
To overcome power disruptions and excessive electricity bills, the country plans to employ nuclear power. An inter-agency committee has also been tasked with investigating the possibility of reopening the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which has been a tourist attraction since 2009. Due to safety concerns, previous attempts to use nuclear energy in the Philippines had to be put on hold. Regardless of the fact that the BNPP was finished in 1984, it was shut down in 1986 following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In February 2022, the Department of Energy in the Philippines announced an auction to award 2 GW of renewable energy capacity. The country’s authorities aim to contract 1,260 MW of solar PV, 380 MW of wind power, 230 MW of biomass, and 130 MW of hydropower capacity through the procurement process. The province of Luzon is predicted to receive approximately 900 MW, while the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao are slated to receive 260 and 100 MW, respectively.
