President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.has announced that the government will explore nuclear energy as one of the sources to meet the increasing energy needs of Mindoreños and other Filipinos and prevent a potential power crisis in the country.

During a media interview aboard his flight back to the Philippines on May 11, Marcos emphasized the urgency of ramping up the country’s energy supply.

“We’re considering the Philippines for our first nuclear energy facility in Southeast Asia. We also note that there’s a great deal of discussion about Mindoro having blackouts and that might be an excellent… a good science [solution],” said the power company’s officials, referring to the recent power outages in Occidental Mindoro.

Marcos mentioned that during his recent visit to the United States, he explored the possibility of utilizing “cutting-edge” micro nuclear fuel technology to address the country’s power crisis.

“We’re open to everything. Even before I took office, we have been discussing the possibility of tapping nuclear energy,” said Marcos.

While in Washington, DC, Marcos had a meeting with officials of Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC), a US-based company that specializes in nuclear technologies and services.

USNC officials expressed their interest in bringing clean and dependable nuclear energy to the Philippines, citing the move as “probably a very important way for us to enter the market.”

“It turns out there are many nuclear technologies, iba-iba. Ang dami naming natutunan in our last visit to Washington and then— even ‘yung nasa EU (European Union) kami, marami palang iba-iba,” he said.

The Philippines experienced a series of blackouts in various parts of the country, including in Mindoro, leading the government to look for alternative sources of energy.

“We need to find new sources [of energy]. That’s what we’re trying to do. The situation with renewables is also improving but we may have found some other technologies na hindi mag-antay ng lead time ng six, seven years,” said Marcos.