Pasay city: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is eager to help the Philippines identify the right systems and technologies to support its nuclear energy ambitions, its chief said Tuesday. Speaking on the sidelines of the International High Level Forum on Nuclear Technology (NUTEC) Plastics in Pasay City, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi cited alternatives and newer nuclear technologies beyond power plants, including small modular reactors (SMRs), that countries like the Philippines could tap.
According to Philippines News Agency, Grossi emphasized the establishment of mechanisms for further cooperation between IAEA's technical experts and those in the Philippines to systematically assess adaptable nuclear technologies. Grossi, who paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., noted the president's enthusiasm for nuclear energy, highlighting its potential to help the Philippines integrate nuclear power into its energy mix by 2032.
The Philippines aims to have commercially operational nuclear power plants by 2032, initially contributing 1,200 megawatts to the power mix, with plans to increase this to 4,800 megawatts by 2050. Beyond power, Grossi stated that the IAEA is committed to supporting Manila in exploring peaceful applications of nuclear science, such as addressing plastic pollution.
In conjunction with these efforts, Grossi and Marcos inaugurated a high-level gathering to explore how nuclear science and radiation technologies can aid in recycling difficult plastics. The Philippines is one of nine pilot countries in radiation-enabled plastics upcycling and will showcase the Post-Radiation Reactive Extrusion (PREx) Prototype House on November 26.
The PREx project, led by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), modifies the polymer structure of plastic waste using electron beam irradiation, transforming it into tiles, bricks, and structural panels. The PREx Prototype House, located at the PNRI compound in Quezon City, will serve as a testbed for environmental exposure, structural performance, and degradation studies.
During the conference, Grossi also signed a new agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to enhance the bank's technical understanding of nuclear power. This agreement aims to provide countries in the region access to financing and expertise to meet their energy demands through nuclear power.
