The Department of Energy Philippines (DOE) has identified seven potential locations across five provinces that could host future nuclear power plants as the Philippines moves forward with plans to develop nuclear energy capacity.
Two proposed sites are located in Bataan and Palawan, while Masbate, Pangasinan, and Camarines Norte each have one potential site. The areas were selected after preliminary desktop evaluations and multidisciplinary field surveys conducted by the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee.
Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the identified locations passed the DOE’s safety screening process, which includes requirements on distance from active faults, elevation above sea level, and exclusion from permanent danger zones and active volcanic hazard areas.
“Crucially, they clear our strict exclusionary safety criteria,” Bacordo said.
The DOE said the evaluation process follows safety principles based on International Atomic Energy Agency standards as the government studies the feasibility of future nuclear facilities.
“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.”
The potential sites are part of the country’s effort to expand its energy options as demand for reliable electricity continues to grow. The DOE is also working on the regulatory, technical, and financial requirements needed before any nuclear project can proceed.
The agency said future steps include strengthening the country’s nuclear regulatory system, finalizing the implementing rules of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, and conducting further assessments on the viability of nuclear power development.
