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DOE panel begins review of laws amid PH nuclear push
The Nuclear Energy Program-Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC) has started its comprehensive review of the country's current nuclear laws, regulations, and policies as the government explores possibilities in nuclear energy development.
Led by the Department of Energy (DOE), NEP-IAC Subcommittee 3 met with concerned government agencies and stakeholders from August 12 to 15 to identify the needed amendments in establishing a national legal framework for a safe, secure, and sustainable use of modern nuclear energy technology.
"We want to make sure that all legal hurdles are cleared before we take major steps forward in fulfilling our nuclear power objectives. From the review of the laws and issuances, we will propose enactment or amendment of laws as appropriate," DOE Legal Services Director Myra Fiera Roa said.
In June, the Senate ratified the proposed Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, which forms the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM.)
The House of Representatives earlier approved its counterpart bill in November 2023.
PhilATOM will ensure that an independent and competent authority regulates the nuclear energy infrastructure, including its siting, construction, licensing, safety, and eventual operation.
DOE Secretary Sharon Garin had said that the Philippines will comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) requirements for nuclear infrastructure development.
Following its evaluation of the country's progress in December 2024, the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Mission confirmed that nine of the recommendations from the 2018 INIR Mission have been fully addressed, while five were still in progress.
"We want to seize every opportunity to get things done right on the potential use of nuclear energy for the benefit of our people," Roa said.
NEP-IAC has 24 member agencies, which formed six subcommittees.
Subcommittee 3 is tasked with the legal and regulatory framework.
Under the Philippine Energy Plan 2023-2050, the country plans to have a nuclear capacity of at least 1,200 megawatts (MW) by 2032, doubling it to 2,400 MW by 2035 and to 4,800 MW by 2050. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News
