Meralco offers scholarships in nuclear energy development  

MANILA, Philippines —  Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has expressed its readiness to support the development of nuclear energy in the country by providing scholarships to beef up local talents in the field.

“The best we can do for the moment is to really maintain a vigilant watch over what’s happening in the (United) States,” Meralco chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“But we should prepare for it now by educating our people in nuclear energy. We should prepare for it though, and I think Meralco is prepared to sponsor scholarships for Filipinos in that particular area,” he said.

Pangilinan said it is important for the country to have a regulatory regime in place, as well as skilled engineers and people that would support nuclear energy development.

He said the country must also be able to understand first the risks associated with nuclear plants.

“But we’re about five to 10 years away from making a decision. And is the country ready for it? I don’t think we’re ready for it,” he said.

Meralco president and chief executive officer Ray Espinosa said the company is monitoring developments in NuScale Power Corp.’s small modular reactor (SMR) project in the US.

“It’s very difficult to budget and forecast nuclear, for instance, because as you know, if you’re talking about SMR, the first of its kind will be delivered only in 2028,” Espinosa said.

“And right now based on the news, NuScale is incurring project overruns already. So we don’t know at what price the cost will settle. So in fact, we are keenly looking at how the NuScale pilot project would proceed. So that’s still a long time, still a proof of concept,” he said.

Meralco is looking at nuclear power, particularly SMRs, as part of its adoption of next generation clean energy technologies.

SMRs, which have capacities ranging from 50 to 300 MW, are faster to build compared to large nuclear plants and can be deployed to off-grid areas for a more reliable source of electricity.

Meralco believes SMRs are more suited for the country instead of conventional types of nuclear power plants.

The company earlier said it is applying for a grant with the US Trade and Development Agency to do a feasibility study for SMR.

Nuclear energy is among the technologies being explored by the country, but it is still considered as a long-term option for the Philippines for power generation.

The Philippines and the US have started negotiations on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that will provide legal basis for US exports of nuclear equipment and materials to the country.

This comes following the launch of “123 agreement” during the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris in the Philippines in November last year.