The Philippines will be ready to accept applications for nuclear power projects by 2026, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said at the sidelines of recently held Philippine Energy Transition Dialogue 2025 in Makati City.

“It depends on the availability of the technology kasi kung SMR kahit apat na taon, pwede mo siya i-construct,” Garin said, referring to small modular reactors (SMRs).  (It depends on the availability of the technology, because if it’s an SMR, it can be built in as little as four years.)

Garin noted that no commercial SMR has yet been deployed globally, but said the Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing so the country is not left behind. 

“Our target basically is [for] the Philippines to be ready to accept applications by 2026,” she said, adding that the DOE is also working to ensure that other agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, are all prepared once applications begin.

A decision on the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is also possible by that time. “When the time comes, there needs to be a consensus,” Garin said, adding that the move would need support from the executive, Congress, and local governments.

The government expects results of South Korea’s feasibility study on BNPP by February 2026. Korea has been a key partner in the country’s nuclear energy efforts, having signed an agreement with the government in October 2024 to explore cooperation, while Meralco, the country’s largest private utility distribution company, has tapped Korean institutions for nuclear engineering training and technical collaboration.

In June, DOE  hailed the creation of PhilATOM, a new regulatory body mandated under the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, as a milestone that lays the groundwork for safe nuclear development.

Do you think the Philippines should proceed with nuclear energy once the studies and regulatory systems are in place, or prioritize expanding renewables first? 

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