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France keen to help PH develop nuclear energy
French Ambassador Michèle Boccoz said the embassy has met with some of the Cabinet members and nuclear power was listed among the key areas Paris and Manila could cooperate on. (File Photo: Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia/Facebook)
MANILA – The French government is keen to help the Philippines develop its nuclear power program as the Marcos administration looks for other reliable sources of energy.
French Ambassador Michèle Boccoz said the embassy has met with some of the Cabinet members and nuclear power was listed among the key areas Paris and Manila could cooperate on.
“(T)here’s obviously an interest. As I said, we have an experience and expertise in many different sectors of renewable energy, including the nuclear sector,” Boccoz said at a reception in Makati City on Tuesday.
She said working on small modular reactors is “probably much more realistic” than reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
“I think that this is a thing of the past because the technologies have evolved so much that it wouldn’t really make sense to work to build this kind of project and it’s probably too big and it probably needs too much of the grid to be operational,” she added.
“So having a sort of more modular systems is probably much more realistic and also in terms of the terrain here and the systemic risks and others. These are much smaller units that can be much more easily protected.”
Boccoz, meanwhile, clarified that talks are still in the “very early stages” as Manila has to put in place a framework first.
In his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sought to re-examine the country’s strategy towards building nuclear power plants in the Philippines.
“We will comply of course with the International Atomic Energy Agency regulations for nuclear power plants as they have been strengthened after Fukushima. In the area of nuclear power, there have been new technologies developed that allow smaller-scale modular nuclear plants and other derivations thereof,” he said.
“Once again, PPPs (public-private partnerships) will play a part in support as funding in this period is limited.”
France generates about 70 percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants but plans to reduce this to 50 percent by 2035 as its shifts to more renewables, such as solar and wind.
Besides nuclear, Boccoz said, France is also beginning to have discussions on hydrogen and other renewable energy sources with the new administration.
Gwen Balita
July 28, 2022 at 5:49 AM
A nuclear? are they seruous about it, there are lots of problems that the government must prioritize. why a nuclear energy in these pandemic situation it could have been more helpful if the administration focuses more on the inflation. But aside from the fact that the Philippines are planning to build nuclear energy it has good thing too that some countries are helping the Philiplines to become stronger. but as of now that an earthquake occured, please focus on the most important tbing by helping the victims cope with the tragedy. kudos to PBBM
May May
July 28, 2022 at 2:04 PM
This may benefit our country but I also pray and hope that this will not leave into destruction but to produce efficient nuclear powered electricity only and not to entertain those high reactive material to produce nuclear weapons. It may be beneficial to country’s military power but it may affect the laws of this country. Hoping for the best, hoping for the better.
May May
July 28, 2022 at 11:52 PM
We’re hoping that this development will really do a lot of research so that we don’t have the same scenario as other countries in which their nuclear power plants turn into destructive disasters.