Meralco eyes three sites for planned nuke power plant

Three potential sites are being eyed by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for its planned proof-of-concept modular nuclear power plant in the country.

Meralco Executive Vice President and COO Ronnie Aperoche said the three possible sites are in Talim Island in Rial, San Rafael in Bulacan, and Isla del Provisor located right across Malacañang Palace.

The company, Aperoche stated, has started the pre-feasibility study for the plan despite the anticipated hurdles pertaining to the location where the facility will be built.

“Actually, those sites were considered by the Department of Energy before. Unfortunately, most, if not all of them, are outside the Meralco franchise. So, because this is a Meralco undertaking, we wanted it to be within our franchise,” he expressed.

Last month, Meralco signed a cooperative agreement with US-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp, (USNC) to study the potential deployment of at least one micro-modular reaction energy system in the Philippines.

USNC is a Seattle-headquartered company involved in micro-modular reactors.

The pre-feasibility study will help Meralco, the country’s largest electric distribution utility, familiarize itself with micro-modular reactor systems and how these can be effectively utilized in the Philippines.

Meralco has the option to conduct a more detailed feasibility study with focus on the adoption and deployment of micro-modular reactor energy systems depending on the results of the pre-feasibility study.

“We are considering at least three sites, but we have to harmonize this with the DOE, “ Aperoche said.

He added: “in terms of capacity, small modular reactors are different since they are at 300 megawatts (MW). In the case of micro-modular, it ranges from five MW to 30MW maximum. If you need a higher capacity, since it’s modular, then all you need is to put up more units”.

The micro-modular reactor energy system is a fourth-generation nuclear energy system that delivers safe, clean, and cost-effective electricity to users anywhere.

Meralco believes nuclear technology will help meet the country’s growing demand for energy, achieve energy independence, and transition toward a sustainable energy future.
The nuclear initiatives are part of the company’s long-term sustainability strategy through which the power company will play out its just, orderly, and affordable energy transition to clean energy across three horizons.