The Philippines is aiming for 1,200 megawatts of nuclear capacity by 2032. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin reiterated the target at the opening of the World Nuclear Supply Chain and Philippine International Nuclear Energy Forum 2026. The roadmap then calls for 2,400 MW in 2035 and 4,800 MW in 2050.
The 2032 target depends on the availability of small modular reactors. Garin explained that a conventional plant takes around ten years to build, while SMRs allow for shorter timelines. Department officials had previously indicated eight units of 150 MW each as the baseline for the calculation. The government has identified several sites for assessment: Masbate, Pangasinan and Palawan. No location is yet final, and an inter-agency group is checking distance from faults and volcanoes, separation from population centers and overlaps with ancestral domains.
On procurement, the department has revised the draft circular on tenders for the country’s first nuclear capacity. Following the September 25 consultation, which included comments from NGCP and Meralco, the text now takes grid feasibility into account: substations, connection points, transmission and synchronization. Capacity would be procured in phases. A second public consultation will precede the final version. In the meantime, the department is working with the Energy Regulatory Commission on pricing guidelines.
The rationale lies in the numbers. Peak electricity demand reached 20.1 GW, against roughly 32.5 GW of installed capacity as of July 2026. Net imports cover 51.5% of primary energy supply, exposing the country to fuel price shocks. Garin also linked the renewed push for nuclear to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which has refocused attention on a low-emission source capable of providing clean baseload power.
The institutional framework is taking shape. The department is applying the IAEA’s milestones approach, which calls for establishing rules, oversight and institutions first. The regulator PhilATOM has been strengthened, and Manila has expanded technical cooperation with Japan, the United States, South Korea and Hungary on safety, regulatory expertise and workforce training. Still open are the assessment of the Bataan plant, which never entered service, and the possibility of transferring it to a private operator after results the department considers encouraging.
If the tenders proceed on schedule, the Philippines could award its first contracts before the end of President Marcos’s term. At that point, the country would have to build a supply chain in less than a decade, while a market for SMRs takes shape in parallel.
