Nuclear power in the Philippines

Nuclear energy was considered as an alternative source of energy after the 1973 oil crisis affected the Philippines. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was built by President Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980s, but never went into operation after it was mothballed by Marcos' successor, President Corazon Aquino, who cited the possibility of a reactor meltdown after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, as well as the increase of the price of the plant. The Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 dampened further efforts to revive the nuclear power plant and nuclear energy in the country. Proposals to revive the plant remain controversial.

The Philippine Research Reactor-1 was operated from 1963 until 1988 by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute in Quezon City.

In December 2020, a group of experts from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was invited by the Philippine government to review the country's nuclear infrastructure. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has been quoted saying that the mission will help with finally making nuclear power a part of the country's energy mix.

In February 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte approved and signed an executive order to include nuclear power in the country's energy mix, as authorities prepare to phase out of coal-fired power plants and after earlier efforts failed due to safety concerns. The order states that it can combat the power outages and the electricity prices, despite environmental radiation concerns. Duterte said nuclear power would be tapped as a viable alternative baseload power source as the Philippines seeks to retire coal plants to help meet climate goals. The weak electrical grid connections between the over 1,000 inhabited islands of the Philippine archipelago presents a challenge to a nuclear policy. The mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is close to Manila, the largest electrical demand location, so is an option for revival or the site of a new plant.

In September 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs under Republic Act No. 12305 known as Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act.