PhilATOM law IRR expected early next year

THE implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the law establishing the nuclear regulator are expected to be released early next year, according to the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI).

“We’re working on it,” PNRI Director Carlo A. Arcilla said, adding that the IRR would likely be released by March.

Signed on Sept. 18, Republic Act No. 12305, or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, establishes the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), an independent agency responsible for overseeing all nuclear and radiation-related activities in the country.

PhilATOM is required to promulgate the rules and regulations 180 days from the effectivity.

The new body’s leadership will consist of a director general, appointed by the President for a five-year term, supported by four deputy directors-general.

“The main purpose of PhilATOM is safety, security and safeguards. That’s why it should be independent,” Mr. Arcilla said.

The new authority will consolidate regulatory functions from other agencies and serve as the national counterpart to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Philippines was elected to the board of governors of the IAEA for the 2025-2027 term, a move that could advance the country’s plans to incorporate nuclear energy into the national energy mix.

The Department of Energy (DoE) aims to introduce nuclear power by 2032, with at least 1,200 megawatts (MW), gradually increasing to 4,800 MW by 2050.

“The fact that the Philippines is there allows the country to shape the policies, to mark the orientation of what the IAEA priorities are,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

Earlier this week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the IAEA signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation on the peaceful, safe, and sustainable use of nuclear energy in Asia and the Pacific.

The ADB updated its energy policy by recognizing nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels for baseload generation, lifting its self-imposed ban on financing for nuclear energy.

Mr. Grossi said the partnership between IAEA and the ADB paves the way to support the financing of nuclear energy prospects in the Philippines.

“Now that we have this agreement… our technical teams are going to be moving into specific cases, and countries that have real prospects, and the Philippines is among those,” he said on the sidelines of a briefing.

Mr. Grossi is hoping that the access to financing will help the Philippines pursue the technology to support its power needs given its archipelagic nature.

“You have an archipelagic morphology which is very adapted, for example, to small reactors. You have islands far away, and you cannot connect unless you have submarine cables —  then you have a nuclear reactor that gives you a lot of autonomy,” Mr. Grossi said.

“So it’s incredibly interesting for the country. So we hope that having now access to finance, this could be facilitated. I really hope so,” he added.

Asked to comment, Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said the ADB’s openness to financing nuclear energy would help lower the cost of development.

“We’re so happy with that if they are willing to finance nuclear power plants,” Ms. Garin said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera