Philippines weighs BNPP sale as nuclear revival study advances

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Philippines weighs BNPP sale

Highlights

Department of Energy may sell or redevelop the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant as it awaits the Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. feasibility study update.
South Korea-funded technical and economic study, which began in January 2025, has so far produced positive findings, but does not obligate the Philippines to act.
Philippines targets 1,200 MW nuclear capacity initially, with expansion to 2,400 MW by 2035 and 4,800 MW by 2050, with first output tentatively by 2038.

Government options as BNPP review continues

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, the Department of Energy says the government is open to selling the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, or taking a role in its development, while it waits for the completion of a feasibility study by Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.

Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin says the government is still evaluating whether the facility is technically viable and safe to operate. She says the study, which started in January 2025, has so far yielded positive results, while stressing that the work is being funded by South Korea and does not commit the Philippines to follow any recommendation or proceed with construction.

In 2024, the Department of Energy and KHNP signed a memorandum of understanding for a comprehensive technical and economic study on the possible rehabilitation of the plant. The review also covers other nuclear technologies and possible alternative sites for future nuclear energy development.

Nuclear targets shape long-term power planning

The BNPP at Napot Point in Morong, Bataan, was completed in 1985 but never began operations after the 1986 change of government and safety fears linked to the Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union.

The Philippines began reassessing the role of nuclear energy in 2022 and set a target of 1,200 megawatts of initial capacity, rising to 2,400 megawatts by 2035 and 4,800 megawatts by 2050. The Department of Energy is still drafting auction rules for nuclear developers, as officials work to define how nuclear capacity will enter the system alongside renewable energy.

Patrick T. Aquino, director of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau, says the draft rules envision the first kilowatts of nuclear-generated electricity being delivered by 2038. That timeline places the BNPP review within a broader strategy to expand baseload supply and diversify the country's future energy mix.

Our earlier article on the UK’s nuclear fusion push explained how governments and companies are accelerating efforts to move fusion from the lab toward commercial electricity, with technology capability and supply chains becoming strategically important. We noted progress in areas such as superconducting magnets and higher-pressure performance in UKAEA’s machines, alongside a plan to develop a prototype fusion power plant by 2040 as part of a broader energy-security and industrial strategy.

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