After more than three decades, the Philippines is again operating a nuclear facility. In 2014, a proposal was accepted to utilize fuel elements of a shutdown research reactor for training and education, which the IAEA has been supporting through a series of technical cooperation projects. In the first project that launched in 2016, the IAEA assisted the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) to build capacity in reactor design, neutron dosimetry and regulatory matters related to research reactors.
A second cooperation project followed in 2020 and is ongoing to further build capacity, particularly in reactor engineering and operation, reactor utilization and development of a reactor training programme to sustain local capacity-building activities. “With nuclear power in consideration for the country’s future energy mix and a demand for nuclear technology in different sectors, it is essential to build capacity and develop a new generation of scientists and workforce in this field,” said Syahril Syahril, IAEA Programme Management Officer for the Philippines.
A presidential executive order from earlier this year outlines the government's position for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the Philippines' energy mix. The Philippines built a nuclear power plant in the late 1970s, but the project was stopped in 1986, and fuel was not loaded into it.