Meralco shifts focus to larger nuclear plant

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), chaired by tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, is leveraging France's nuclear expertise to explore the potential deployment of a large-scale facility in the Philippines.

-  BRIX LELIS

"We might be entering into a feasibility study with the French government. This is not for the smaller ones but the bigger ones like conventional," Meralco EVP and COO Ronnie Aperocho said in a recent interview.

Following recent initiatives to study available nuclear technologies, Aperocho said the power distribution giant is now setting its sights on developing a nuclear plant with a capacity of up to 1,200 megawatts (MW).

France, he said, has been building nuclear facilities since 1948, and its technologies are already considered "mature" globally. Nuclear energy also accounts for about 75 percent of France's power generation mix.

"For them, the construction of nuclear power plants has become almost a 'copy-paste' process, and their safety record is well-established," the Meralco executive pointed out.