Initial results of a pre-feasibility study conducted by US-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) show that one of its proposed sites at Isla del Provisor across Malacañang Palace in Manila may not be viable.
Meralco executive vice-president and chief operating officer Ronnie Aperocho said USNC already submitted the results of the pre-feasibility study to the company.
Meralco and USNC earlier signed a cooperative agreement to study the potential deployment of one or more fourth-generation gas-cooled micro-modular reactor (MMR) energy systems in the Philippines.
The study will help Meralco in critical decisions and potential future activities on project-specific studies and project development plans at identified sites. The study will assess financial, technical, safety and siting, among other considerations.
“We are reviewing it, and they are presenting their delegation here a few weeks from now,” Aperocho said.
He said that of Meralco’s three proposed sites, Isla Del Provisor in Paco may not be feasible for small nuclear facility.
Meralco acquired the site from the government in 2021 for P632,162,185. The property consists of eight separate non-contiguous vacant lots spanning 20,975 square meters.
Aperocho said the other proposed sites are Talim Island in Rizal province and San Rafael, Bulacan.
“The third site is Isla Del Provisor. We got word that it did not pass, but we do not know yet the reason,” he said.
Meralco is studying building micro-modular nuclear power plants, with a range of 5 megawatts (MW) to 30 MW on the proposed sites.
Aperocho said Meralco is open to supporting the Department of Energy’s target of putting up 1,200 megawatts of small modular reactors by 2032.
“We will support the target. Hopefully, we can help the Department of Energy achieve that target,” he said.
Aperocho earlier said Meralco focused on the three sites because it is located within its franchise area.
“Actually, those sites that were considered by the Department of Energy before, unfortunately, most if not all of them are outside the Meralco franchise. Because this is a Meralco undertaking, we want it within our franchise,” he said.
Aperocho said Meralco was also training the manpower for its proposed nuclear facilities by sponsoring scholarship programs.