MANILA, Philippines — The deal between the Philippines and the United States that will allow Washington to export nuclear technology to Manila for peaceful uses has taken effect, the US State Department announced on Tuesday.
The landmark nuclear cooperation pact, which the US hailed as a framework for “peaceful nuclear cooperation” based on non-proliferation commitments, came into force on July 2, around eight months after it was signed by country representatives at an economic summit in San Francisco, California.
This deal aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s plan to increasingly tap nuclear energy to meet the Philippines’ growing power demands, but the viability of nuclear as a clean energy source and the government’s slow transition to renewables has also been questioned by environmental and clean-energy advocacy groups.
The so-called 123 Agreement permits the transfer of nuclear material, equipment (including reactors), components, and information for nuclear research and civil nuclear energy production to the Philippines, the US State Department said in a statement.
The agreement also “[enhances] our cooperation on clean energy and energy security and strengthen our long-term bilateral diplomatic and economic relationships,” the US State Department added.
The agreement was named after Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, which requires the completion of a peaceful nuclear cooperation deal for the US to send significant amounts of nuclear material to a country.
The US State Department said that the deal builds on almost 80 years of peaceful nuclear cooperation between the US and the Philippines and establishes a continued civil nuclear trade between the two countries.
Target for renewables
The Philippines has adopted an ambitious target of increasing its share of renewable energy in its power generation mix to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040.
Department of Energy data in 2023 shows coal still dominates the country’s power mix, accounting for 43.9%, while renewables come in second at 29.7% of the mix.
Greenpeace Philippines has urged the Philippine government to move away from relying on nuclear energy for electricity in the Philippines given that Germany, like other developed countries, has weaned off nuclear power — an undertaking that it began in 2002 and was accelerated in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
Solar energy costs have gone down 89% since 2009 while nuclear costs jumped by 26%, according to the environmental group, which described nuclear energy as an “expensive and risky” investment that needed years of planning.
“Permanent nuclear waste storage and its management are perpetual costs that the government needs to plan for centuries, shouldered by consumers, and using taxpayer money,” the group said in a May 2023 statement.
“Ultimately, nuclear power is just not worth it when we already have a vast potential in wind and solar energy waiting to be tapped,” the group added.
In 2022, when the 123 agreement was first raised by US and Philippine officials, scientists of the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People opposed the plan, saying the Philippines “will be held hostage by the US in adopting nuclear technology in our energy security.
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