The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) officially introduced the pilot batch of scholars under its Filipino Scholars and Interns on Nuclear Engineering (FISSION) program.
Five engineers from Meralco will be participating in a two-year nuclear engineering program in partner institutions abroad.
Two of the participants will start the program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States of America while the other three will undertake the program at Harbin Engineering University in China.
Upon completion of the academic program, the FISSION scholars will be sent to nuclear technology companies for their internship. Once they return to the Philippines in 2028, they will be reintegrated into Meralco and be assigned to take on a role in its nuclear power generation unit.
Meralco said its FISSION scholars underwent a meticulous screening process conducted by a selection committee composed of energy industry experts and academe professionals including Dr. Ike Dimayuga from the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and Dr. Aura Matias, former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Engineering, among others.
Meralco Power Academy, the energy education unit of the company, has been partnering with global universities offering international graduate programs on nuclear engineering which will allow scholars to have access to nuclear energy laboratories and participate in ongoing research on small and micro modular reactors.
The company said the move is part of its proactive bid to advance the push for the integration of nuclear power in the country’s energy portfolio.
