PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the government will work on tapping nuclear energy among other sources of power to meet the growing needs of Filipinos and avert a possible power crisis in the country.
In a media interview on board his flight back to the Philippines, the President stressed the immediate need to ramp up the energy supply of the country.
Among the principal sources of power is nuclear energy. Marcos revealed that even before he took office, he had been looking to nuclear energy as an option to address the power shortage of the country.
“Even before I took office, pinag-uusapan na namin tingnan ‘yan. It turns out there are many nuclear technologies, iba-iba. Ang dami naming natutunan in our last visit to Washington and then — even ‘yung nasa EU (European Union) kami, marami palang iba-iba,” the President said.
In his recent working visit to the US, President Marcos said he is looking at a “cutting-edge” micro nuclear fuel technology as part of the administration’s efforts to solve the country’s power crisis.
While in Washington, DC, Marcos met with officials of Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC), a US-based firm global leader and vertical integrator of nuclear technologies and services.
USNC officials expressed interest in bringing clean and reliable nuclear energy to the Philippines, describing the move as “probably a very important way for us to enter the market.”
“So, pinag-aaralan natin mabuti. When it comes to power, we’re open to everything. Kahit na ano na pwede nating makuha para pag-addition sa power supply natin. Syempre nandyan pa rin, lagi nating iniisip ‘yung kailangan parami na ‘yung renewables, pabawas na ‘yung fossil fuels,” the chief executive pointed out.
“So, what else can we do? Find new sources. That’s what we’re trying to do. The situation with renewables is also improving but we may have found some other technologies na hindi mag-antay ng lead time ng six, seven years,” the President added.
USNC officials said they are considering the Philippines for its first nuclear energy facility in Southeast Asia and vowed to help address the series of blackouts that hit several areas of the country.
“We also note that there’s a great deal of discussion about Mindoro having blackouts and that might be an excellent….a good science [solution],” said the power company’s officials, referring to the weeks of power outages in Occidental Mindoro.
