France will explore possible collaboration with the Philippines on nuclear energy.
In a statement over the weekend, the French embassy in Manila said a delegation from the French nuclear industry will be visiting the Philippines from November 12 to 15 to meet with public and private sector leaders in the country.
The visit coincides with the participation of France in the Philippine International Nuclear Supply Chain Forum in Manila organized by the Department of Energy on November 14 at Solaire Resort North in Quezon City.
The embassy said the delegation is made up of representatives of the main players in the French nuclear industry, including: Electricité de France (EDF), Europe’s largest electricity production and distribution company, with 180,000 employees worldwide and electricity production of 470 TWh;
Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), responsible for research and development in nuclear technology, with 22,000 employees and a budget of $6.5 billion ; the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) in charge of safety and controls to avoid any kind of incidents in the nuclear supply chain and; the French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA) responsible for identifying, implementing and guaranteeing safe management solutions for all radioactive waste, in order to protect present and future generations from the risks inherent in such substances.
At the forum, these companies will present the four main characteristics that make the French nuclear industry unique in the world.
The embassy said France has nearly 70 years of experience in nuclear, from the first reactor developed in France to the 57 reactors currently in operation.
In France, the share of nuclear power to the electricity mix is the highest in the world at 72 percent with 62 GWe.
The embassy added France is committed to innovation in the nuclear energy industry, with the development of state of the art Gen 3+ reactor technologies (EPR) and small and medium reactors (SMR).
Throughout its history, France has not recorded any major incident due to its stringent regulations and controls. “France and the Philippines share the same objectives of strengthening their energy security and sovereignty. Nuclear power is one answer to these challenges, while meeting the challenge of decarbonizing the electricity mix in line with international climate commitments,” the embassy said in the statement.
