THE Department of Energy (DOE) said Friday it created a nuclear energy division under the Energy Utilization Management Bureau after securing the approval of the Department Budget and Management on May 16, 2024.
It said the creation of the division is pursuant to Executive Order No. 116 dated July 24,2022, EO No. 164 dated Feb. 28, 2022 and House Resolution No. 134 dated Aug. 8, 2023 which urges the DOE to create an Office of Nuclear Energy, with plantilla positions of not less than 10 personnel who will promote, formulate, and implement plans and programs to advance the utilization of nuclear energy in country.
The division, headed by DOE director Patrick Aquino, will promote, formulate and implement policies, plans and programs to advance the development, establishment and utilization of nuclear energy.
It will also coordinate with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and other concerned government agencies to establish a harmonized roadmap, policies, and proposed laws to cover and champion the 19 nuclear infrastructure issues.
It will conduct seminars, training courses, technical briefing, fora, workshops and focused group discussions (FGD) to facilitate information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns on nuclear energy.
The division will also evaluate applications, permits and licenses and ensure strict compliance of operator-applicants with existing regulations and standards on nuclear energy and maintain database inventory of operator-applicants and statuses of evaluation of applications.
The DOE expects to set up the country’s first nuclear facility by 2032 or 2033, officials said earlier.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the agency is “open to all technologies,” including nuclear.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the agency is “open to all technologies.”
“Right now, we are not looking at renewable energy as providing for example baseload power. We need other sources of power in order to balance the viability of the renewable energy, but at some point it is possible that new technologies, including energy systems that will enable us to make variable renewable energy serves as these storage,” he said.
He said the DOE wanted to be ready to roll out its programs once the relevant laws are passed.
