THE Department of Energy (DOE) said Thursday it will hold a three-day workshop with the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD-NEA) next month to help strengthen Philippine nuclear regulation.
The OECD-NEA is an international agency that promotes cooperation on nuclear safety, technology, and regulation.
The Philippine Nuclear Regulatory Framework Workshop, scheduled Nov. 4–6 in Manila, will bring together government representatives, international regulators, and technical experts as the country prepares to include nuclear power in its energy mix.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said regulators must have the independence, technical expertise and capacity to protect public safety.
“Building a credible regulatory framework is essential to responsible nuclear energy development and to earning public confidence,” she pointed out.
The workshop will focus on the legal and institutional foundations for nuclear regulation, including the role of PhilAtom, the country’s newly established nuclear regulatory body.
Topics include regulatory independence, governance, licensing, inspection, compliance, emergency preparedness, site evaluation, and emerging technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs).
Technical discussions and scenario-based exercises will examine challenges that countries face while preparing to introduce nuclear power, drawing on the experience of NEA member countries.
The workshop follows the World Nuclear Supply Chain Forum and the Philippine International Nuclear Energy Forum held Oct. 21–22. These events gathered industry players, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Japan Atomic Power Company, Candu Energy Inc. and Rosatom, to discuss supply-chain readiness, workforce development, and project delivery.
The NEA lists 34 member countries, including Russia, whose membership is suspended: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Philippines is not yet a NEA member.
