Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who declared a national energy emergency this year, said Monday that nuclear power might hold answers for a country paying the highest electricity prices in the region.
Marcos made the suggestion in a wide-ranging State of the Nation speech that placed spiraling energy costs and inflation, driven by the war in the Middle East, center-stage.
About 30% of the Philippines’ crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while the remainder comes from Asian refineries that rely on crude from the Middle East.
“Perhaps it is time for us to revisit nuclear energy production,” Marcos told the joint session of Congress. “We will ensure it is safe. We will ensure the good benefits of nuclear energy will be explained properly to the public.”
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant — the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines — was completed in the 1980s but never launched due to corruption issues and safety concerns.
The Philippines has conducted exploratory talks about nuclear energy with numerous countries including Japan, France, Russia and the United States.
Though Marcos offered no specifics about his atomic energy plans, the Philippines announced a deal with the United States in May 2024 to train Filipinos how to build and operate nuclear power plants. (AFP)
