Philippines power utility Manila Electric Co (Meralco) is considering the possible revival of the Bataan NPP (BNPP), which was completed decades ago but never commissioned.
The Philippines decided to build the two-unit BNPP in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. Construction of unit 1, a 621 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactor began in 1976 and it was completed in 1984. However, it was almost immediately mothballed in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster after questions were raised about its excessive cost and poor safety, including its location near a major fault and the Pinatubo volcano. Since 2009 it has functioned as a tourist attraction, helping defray the cost of maintaining it. There have been several proposals over the years to either start up the plant or convert it to a gas-fired plant.
Speaking at the Giga Summit 2025 – The Fusion of Power and Intelligence organised by the Meralco Power Academy, Meralco Executive Vice President and COO Ronnie Aperocho recalled that a feasibility study is already underway to assess the potential of the BNPP. As part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the field of energy signed in 2024 with the Philippine Department of Energy, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) agreed to undertake the feasibility study. Aperocho said the study will be completed within the year. “BNPP, if feasible, will be the quickest route for the Philippines to adopt nuclear power in the 2030s,” he said.
The BNPP revival is outlined in Meralco’s Nuclear Energy Strategic Transition (NEST) programme aimed at ensuring the safe, scalable and responsible integration of nuclear power into the energy mix. Under the Philippine nuclear roadmap, the government aims to deliver at least 1,200 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2032 and scale this up to 2,400 MWe by 2035 and 4,800 MWe by 2050.
NEST “is our internal programme to assess what it would take to responsibly put up a nuclear power plant in the Philippines,” Meralco Chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said. The programme adopts a multi-track approach to evaluate all viable pathways for nuclear power deployment in the Philippines.
These include initiating large-scale greenfield projects through partnerships with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and nuclear operators from France and South Korea; exploring the potential deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in collaboration with the US; and studying the feasibility of rehabilitating the mothballed BNPP.
“With the hopeful passage of the proposed Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, or PhilAtom Bill, Meralco will be able to progress and work with the independent nuclear regulator on selecting the best site to situate this nascent nuclear project,” Aperocho said.
Meralco is identifying possible SMR technologies suitable for the Philippine energy landscape. Aperocho said Meralco is hoping that licensing and development regulations could “proceed quickly as the technology progresses”. Earlier in April, Meralco signed a two-year memorandum of cooperation with French state-run power giant Electricité de France to explore nuclear power and pursue potential investments, including backing from the French government.
Pangilinan said Meralco is “touching base with a number of countries familiar with nuclear energy like France.” He added: “We’re talking to the US government on how we can get assistance in terms of nuclear energy in this country. We need the help of Senate and Congress to set the nuclear framework of the country and of course our regulatory framework as well.”
