President Marcos of the Philippines, accompanied by Filipino leaders, met with NuScale in Washington DC on May 1. This meeting followed preliminary discussions that took place last September in New York, on the sidelines of Marcos’ participation in the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Infra estimates that the future value of the project investment will be between $6.5 billion and $7.5 billion, providing 462 MW to the country by the early 2030s.
NuScale Power Module, first SMR project validated by the United States
The NuScale power module is a pressurized water reactor (PWR) that integrates all steam generation and heat exchange components into a single unit, producing 77 MWe. In September 2020, the NuScale Power Module became the first small modular reactor (SMR) project to receive approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
NuScale offers its units as VOYGR power plants: a VOYGR-12 power plant with 12 modules can produce 924 MWe. The company also offers four- and six-module power plants and other configurations according to customer needs. NuScale is currently working with partners in the United States, Romania, Indonesia and Poland on projects to deploy its SMRs.
The Bataan power plant, a failure for the Philippines
In response to the 1973 oil crisis, the Philippines decided to build the two-unit Bataan power plant. Construction of Bataan 1, a 621 MWe PWR from Westinghouse, began in 1976 and was completed in 1984 at a cost of $460 million. However, due to financial problems and earthquake safety concerns, the plant was never fueled or operated. Since then, it has been regularly maintained.
In March 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a presidential decree that outlined the government’s position for the inclusion of nuclear power in the Philippines’ energy mix, taking into account economic, political, social, and environmental objectives. President Marcos included nuclear power among his campaign promises before winning the election last May.
