MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos Jr. is “hopeful” and is planning to partner with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC) as the country explores the possible use of nuclear energy for power generation.
In a courtesy call with Mohamed Al Hammadi, chairman and chief executive officer of ENEC in Malacañang, Marcos said the plans for nuclear energy tie-ups have been in the pipeline “for a long time.”
“This had become a very high priority topic, I hope we can find ways to help each other in this,” Marcos said.
Marcos has been a known advocate of nuclear energy ever since he started his campaign for the presidency in 2022 to “produce cheap energy and for us to lower our electricity rates.”
But even before this, nuclear energy in the Philippines has been a promise of his father, former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, built in Morong, Bataan, during Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s presidency, was never operational. It was closed in 1986 because of political unrest and the fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The nuke talk
From June 27 to 29, 2024, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos led a Philippine delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a meeting with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC).
The Philippine delegation comprised Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, Benito Techico, Rafael Consing, and Ambassador Alfonso Ver.
During the visit, Rep. Cojuangco said the UAE is a key strategic partner for reviving the Philippine nuclear plant, according to the Philippine Communications Office.
Cojuangco and Hamadi informed the First Lady that they had invited Marcos to participate in the International Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy—2024 Objectives at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
The First Lady said she would discuss this with the President. She noted that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is gathering information from relevant agencies about the Philippines’ potential involvement.
The International Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy aims to triple the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
About 1,000 Filipinos are employed at the UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, it said.
In May, Board of Investments representatives met with UAE companies to explore investment opportunities in the Philippines, especially in clean energy.
