DOE readies blueprint for first Philippine nuclear plant

The Department of Energy (DOE) is laying the policy groundwork for the country's first commercial nuclear power plant (NPP), aiming to attract investors and deliver cheaper power to Filipinos.

- By Brix Lelis

Under a draft department circular, the DOE is proposing vital pricing and dispatch guidelines designed to create a "conducive and competitive market" for the pioneer NPP project.

A key element of the framework mandates distribution utilities (DUs) to ensure a ready market for the project's available capacities, exempting it from the conduct of the usual competitive selection process.

"The commercial development and operation of an NPP, once optimally blended with the generation cost of (DUs), can effectively lower electricity rates," the draft circular states.

The pioneer NPP should be considered a baseload plant with priority dispatch guaranteed through coordination between the DOE and the system operator.