PH, US to sign '123 nuke agreement'

THE Philippines and the United States will sign several deals, including the «123 Agreement» with Washington for nuclear cooperation, an envoy said Wednesday.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed that the nuclear deal between Manila and Washington will be signed during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to San Francisco, California. The «123 Agreement» will provide the legal basis for civil nuclear energy cooperation and allow the export of nuclear fuel, reactors, equipment and special nuclear material from the US to the Philippines.

The Marcos administration has ramped up efforts to diversify the country's energy sources, which the Department of Energy earlier said includes nuclear power.

In May, US nuclear energy firm NuScale Power Corp. expressed interest in investing in the Philippines and bared its plan to conduct a study to locate a site in the country.

Oregon-based NuScale is known for developing a small nuclear power system described as safe, modular and scalable.

The President is in San Francisco, California, to participate in the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' meeting from November 15 to 17. He is expected to hold roundtable meetings with top US business leaders and witness the signing of several agreements on priority sectors such as digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health, and tourism.