Philippines weighs sale or private partnership for Bataan nuclear plant

The Philippine government is considering selling the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to a power developer or working with a private energy company to rehabilitate it, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said. Neither option has advanced beyond preliminary consideration.

Speaking at the Philippine International Nuclear Energy Forum, Garin said the Department of Energy continues to examine whether the plant is viable and to address safety concerns. Construction was completed in the 1980s, but safety concerns and political issues kept it from entering service.

A technical and economic study undertaken with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. began in January 2025. Garin said it produced positive findings on rehabilitation, including the estimated cost, and identified potential for a new nuclear plant. She withheld further details because disclosure requires consent from South Korea, which funded the entire study.

The Philippines’ nuclear roadmap targets capacity of 1,200 megawatts by 2032, rising to 2,400 MW by 2035 and 4,800 MW by 2050.

DOE director Patrick Aquino said preparations were under way for the country’s first nuclear capacity tender. Proposed rules would give the successful bidder an assured market for its project, with the possibility of negotiating sovereign support, government guarantees or other state backing.

Aquino said nuclear-generated electricity could cost more than ₱9 per kilowatt-hour without sovereign guarantees during a plant’s first 20 years of operation. The cost would fall after that period, he said.