San Francisco

The United States and the Philippines on Friday sealed a landmark nuclear deal that will let the US export nuclear tech and material to Manila. The Philippines is planning to use nuclear power in order to decarbonise and take further steps towards energy independence.

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"The United States 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," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a signing ceremony held on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco.

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Negotiations for the 123 Agreement started in November last year.

"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 United States," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a speech. "Nuclear energy is one area where we can show the Philippines-U.S. alliance and partnership truly works."

The deal would still need stamp of approval from the US Congress post which it will allow peaceful transfer of nuclear material, information as well as equipment while adhering to requirements under non-proliferation.

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By the end of last year, the US had 23 similar agreements with 47 countries, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and Taiwan.

The Philippines is seeking to reduce dependence on and retire coal plants in order to meet climate goals. To boost energy security, the country wants to tap nuclear power as alternative power source.

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The country in Southeast Asia is often affected by volatile global oil prices and suffers from seasonal power outages in addition to high electricity rates.

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Attempts to pursue nuclear power hit roadblock in the Philippines in past. But the current president is exploring the possibility of reviving a nuclear power plant, which was mothballed during the rule of his namesake father.

The Bataan Nuclear power plant, which was completed in 1984, was not taken ahead in light of ouster of older Marcos, the Chernobyl accident and corruption allegations.

(With inputs from agencies)