MANILA — The US and the Philippines on Friday (Nov 17) signed a landmark deal that would allow Washington to export nuclear technology and material to Manila, which is exploring the use of nuclear power to decarbonise and boost energy independence.
"The US will be able to share equipment and material with the Philippines as they work to develop small modular reactors and other civilian nuclear energy infrastructure," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the Apec Summit in San Francisco.
Negotiations for the 123 Agreement started in November, 2022.
"We see nuclear energy becoming a part of the Philippines' energy mix by 2032 and we are more than happy to pursue this path with the US," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a speech. "Nuclear energy is one area where we can show the Philippines-US alliance and partnership truly works."
US Congress approval is needed for the deal, which will allow a peaceful transfer of nuclear material, equipment and information in adherence with non-proliferation requirements.
As of end-2022, the US had 23 agreements covering 47 countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and democratically governed Taiwan.
The Philippines wants to tap nuclear power as a viable alternative baseload power source as it seeks to retire coal plants to help meet climate goals and boost energy security. The Southeast Asian nation is vulnerable to volatile global oil prices, seasonal power outages, and high electricity rates.
Previous attempts to pursue nuclear energy in the Philippines were halted over safety concerns, but Marcos has discussed the possibility of reviving a mothballed nuclear power plant, built in response to an energy crisis during the rule of the late Philippines strongman and his namesake father.
Completed in 1984, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was mothballed two years later following the ouster of the older Marcos, the deadly Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and corruption allegations.
Source: Reuters
美国和菲律宾签署具有里程碑意义的核协议
马尼拉——周五（11 月 17 日），美国和菲律宾签署了一项具有里程碑意义的协议，允许华盛顿向马尼拉出口核技术和材料，马尼拉正在探索利用核电来脱碳和促进能源独立。
美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯在圣彼得堡亚太经合组织峰会期间的签字仪式上表示：“在菲律宾致力于开发小型模块化反应堆和其他民用核能基础设施时，美国将能够与菲律宾分享设备和材料。” 弗朗西斯科.
123协议谈判于2022年11月开始。
总统小费迪南德·马科斯 (Ferdinand Marcos Jr) 在一次演讲中表示：“我们预计到 2032 年，核能将成为菲律宾能源结构的一部分，我们非常乐意与美国一起走这条道路。” “核能是我们可以展示菲律宾-美国联盟和伙伴关系真正有效的领域之一。”
该协议需要美国国会批准，该协议将允许在符合防扩散要求的情况下和平转让核材料、设备和信息。
截至2022年底，美国签署了23项协议，涵盖47个国家、国际原子能机构和民主治理的台湾。
菲律宾希望利用核电作为可行的替代基荷电源，因为该国寻求淘汰燃煤电厂，以帮助实现气候目标并提高能源安全。 这个东南亚国家很容易受到全球油价波动、季节性停电和高电价的影响。
菲律宾此前因安全问题而停止开发核能，但马科斯讨论了恢复一座被封存核电站的可能性，该核电站是为应对已故菲律宾强人及其同名父亲统治期间的能源危机而建造的。
巴丹核电站于 1984 年竣工，两年后因老马科斯下台、致命的切尔诺贝利核灾难和腐败指控而被封存。
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