Manila Electric Co. is monitoring the development of Nuscale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) in Romania, which is expected to be completed by 2030 even as it remains keen in the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear power plant.
Meralco chief operating officer Ronnie Aperocho said building a conventional nuclear power plant “is a major challenge” but the company is interested in deploying SMRs.
“The capacity range of 300 to 450 MW and we’re monitoring this ongoing construction of the first of a kind SMR in Romania. They claim that they can get this up running by 2030, and once the target is met definitely all of the other interested companies like us would be looking into the performance of these first of a kind SMRs,” Aperocho said.
He said that if the technology proves feasible, Meralco would be very interested but “the cost is a very important consideration.”
“We really leave it up to the DOE [Department of Energy] how we can build the SMR. there have been discussions already but we leave it up to the DOE to have the first of a kind SMR,” he said.
Aperocho said the Philippines’ 2032 target to install a nuclear plant is fast approaching.
“We’re running out of time, hopefully the nuclear PhilATOM bill will be passed already with the Senate by June, so any delay in the enactment of the bill will definitely cause a major backlog in terms of hitting that target,” he said,
He said Meralco has already signed an agreement with EDF of France for the technical feasibility study, including site or location of a nuclear power plant.
“We need to find a place where to build this in a way that people manage the stakeholders… The government is really a big partner, a major stakeholder,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) president and chief executive Emmanuel Rubio said that while they are open about the revival of BNPP, government will have to come up with a plan.
MGen is the power arm of Meralco, the country’s biggest power retailer with over 8 million customers in its franchise area.
“At the end of the day, it will be up to the government and standards that will be in place, considering the passing of the PhilATOM Bill, that will determine the viability and operability of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. While we’re monitoring, we would be interested to participate, probably as an O&M provider together with a partner,” he said.
“It’s just whether it’s really feasible to rehabilitate BNPP and the power to be commercially viable as well,” he said.
