Meralco gung-ho over nuke energy
We’re advocating for nuclear power as part of our supply mix, considering our current issues. It’s part of our sustainable energy and emerging technology area
Daily TribuneWe’re advocating for nuclear power as part of our supply mix, considering our current issues. It’s part of our sustainable energy and emerging technology area
The global community is looking for ways to boost electricity output after the war in Ukraine saw fuel prices soar and demand for clean air rises.
Governments worldwide are rethinking their nuclear programs, with economies from Asia and Europe extending their ageing nuclear plants, reviving shelved projects, and restarting reactors after the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The country's largest power distributor, Meralco, organized its first-ever Giga Summit on Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Future Grid to restart the discussion on nuclear energy use.
"We're advocating for nuclear power as part of our supply mix, considering our current issues. It's part of our sustainable energy and emerging technology area," Meralco Power Academy executive director Ian Colorina told the Daily Tribune on its show Business Sense.
Paving the path for the future of energy in the Philippines, Meralco will be breeding the next nuclear engineers as it aims to deploy nuclear energy starting in 2030.
Nuclear power is made in a reactor where the splitting of atoms, such as those of uranium, the most common nuclear power plant fuel in the world, occurs. The resulting steam from this process then turns turbines to produce electricity.
Nuclear roadmap
The company's blueprint for its nuclear power development is broken down into three phases.
First, Meralco Power Academy will open the application for scholarships on nuclear energy to Filipinos next year so they can learn the design and construction of micro and small modular reactors in two years, from 2025 to 2027. Meralco expects the students to undergo an internship for another year in 2028.
Second, on the other side of the world, Argentina is developing its modular reactors, which Meralco plans to adopt once the students graduate from Meralco Power Academy and complete their internship.
"We're building an energy talent pipeline. We will send scholars and invite Filipinos abroad to share their knowledge and skills with the country. Those people that will be ready will be tapped to design and plan nuclear," Colorina explained.
Third, Meralco has partnered with the United States for a feasibility study next year on the use and safety of modular reactors to provide insights to the Philippine government for its creation of nuclear energy regulations.
"There are latest developments and technologies aligned with the nuclear power engineering we are considering," Colorina said.
He said previous nuclear projects have been promising.
Colorina said small-scale modular reactors are more cost-efficient, with a life span or refueling capacity of 40 years compared to 25 years of fossil-fueled natural gas plants.
He added that modular reactors could deliver 15 megawatts for the microreactors and 300 megawatts for small reactors, good enough to power over 1,000 homes and take only a small land area to link to the rest of the power system.
"They can also be scalable as they are modular. Unlike the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which needs 1.2 kilometers of exclusion zones, modular reactors require only 100 meters and can be brought near the load centers," Colorina said.
Nuclear energy technology is familiar in the Philippines, as the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1986. However, it was never operated due to safety concerns triggered by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in Ukraine.
Worries about nuclear energy use have continued to linger among most Filipinos as Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant was also burned in 2011 following an earthquake that resulted in a tsunami.
However, Colorina said modular reactors are safe as they can be designed to shut down automatically in case of any malfunction like a radiation leak.
Built-in disposal system
Regarding nuclear waste disposal, said modular reactors can have a built-in bin that is also detachable. "The problem with other nuclear power generators is that their reactors are exposed," he said.
To create a deeper understanding of nuclear energy in the Philippines, Meralco organizes technology summits, most recently the Giga Summit.
"We invited experts and scientists on nuclear energy to spark discussions and ignite the energy industry's growth for nation-building," Colorina said.
He said micro and small modular reactors could be an acceptable introduction to the benefits of nuclear energy to Filipinos as Meralco strives to deliver service backed by modern science and competent engineers.
