Meralco, French firm eyeing PH nuke plants

By Ed Paolo Salting – November 18, 2024
from The Manila Times

MANILA Electric Company (Meralco) is in talks with France for a feasibility study on building conventional nuclear power facilities in the Philippines.

In an interview on Friday night, Meralco executive vice president and COO Ronnie Aperocho said the power distribution firm met with Électricité de France officials “not for small, modular reactors but for bigger, conventional ones with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW).”

“The study will focus on viability, especially on site selection. There are 10 possible sites which the Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing at the soonest possible time,” Aperocho said.

He explained small modular reactors (SMRs) are a new technology that could take years before proper international standards are implemented for such infrastructures. But he also clarified Meralco is not ruling out entirely the acquisition of SMRs.

“We signed a memorandum of understanding for micro modular technologies. We’re looking for the same type of memoranda for SMRs, as well as conventional types,” Aperocho said. “But what is crucial is what the government will say, what type of technology we will use, whether it is micro modular, SMR, or conventional.”

Aperocho pointed out Meralco chose France for its track record of operating and maintaining nuclear power plants, which it started building as early as 1948. “Its safety record is proven… with end-to-end solutions… like waste disposal, as well as the fabrication of the reactors,” he said.

The World Nuclear Association noted France “has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and especially fuel products and services have been a significant export. France derives about 70 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.”

Aperocho said Meralco sees nuclear energy as “the ultimate solution for our requirements for a reliable power supply base load in the Philippines. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can only do so much as a transition type of energy, while renewables have yet to be proven reliable enough to provide power on a 24/7 capacity… I hope our countrymen can see nuclear energy can be greatly beneficial if given a chance.”

Meralco’s Friday share price went up by P35.00 to close at P485.00 apiece.