Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Director-General William D. Magwood, IV said the Philippines has the capacity to deploy new nuclear power within the next decade, following high-level talks in Manila.

Magwood visited the Philippines on July 30–31, 2025, to advance cooperation discussions first initiated during his February trip.

“During the first NEA visit, we found that the Philippines has a very strong intellectual infrastructure,” Magwood said in a statement posted on NEA’s website. “We believe that the country can deploy new nuclear build in the 2030s and the NEA is looking forward to developing close co-operation with the Philippines as the country progresses with its nuclear energy plans.”

The visit comes weeks after the Senate passed legislation to create the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), which will serve as the country’s dedicated regulator for civil nuclear energy. The bill, now awaiting enactment, provides a comprehensive framework for nuclear governance and safety oversight.

Magwood met with newly appointed Energy Secretary Sharon Garin and senior officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) to discuss collaboration in nuclear regulation, capacity building, and knowledge exchange with NEA member countries. As part of the talks, the NEA shared its latest global findings on small modular reactors (SMRs), documented in the third edition of the NEA SMR Dashboard.

SMRs are being considered by the Philippine government as part of its long-term energy strategy to meet rising demand and support the clean energy transition. Magwood also held discussions with Dr. Carlo Arcilla, Director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), on potential joint activities in nuclear safety and regulatory development.

The NEA delegation engaged with officials from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to explore financing pathways for nuclear energy projects in the Asia-Pacific region. Magwood outlined the NEA’s work and the global state of nuclear energy, emphasizing opportunities for development finance in emerging nuclear programs.

The mission concluded with a site visit to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Completed in 1984 but never commissioned, the facility is now under review as a potential site for SMR deployment.

The Philippines is positioning nuclear power as a long-term solution for energy security, with plans to integrate it into the grid by the next decade. NEA’s support is expected to accelerate technical cooperation, regulatory readiness, and financing strategies to make this goal achievable.

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