From October 29-31, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a Nuclear Executive Workshop in Manila, Philippines. The workshop was hosted by the Philippines Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and was attended by members of several other government organizations and private companies interested in pursuing nuclear power generation. The main objective of the workshop was to help the Philippine government and other attendees to gain a better understanding of the aspects of regulation of nuclear power production. Topics discussed included the legal requirements, and the basic organizational structure, staffing, and functions of a regulatory body that are needed to be in place to license and oversee the safe operation of nuclear power facilities.
The workshop featured opening remarks by Dr. Carlo Arcilla, PNRI Director and Ms. Sabrina Atack, Deputy Director, Office of International Programs (OIP), NRC. Dr. Charles Miller and Mr. Andrew Persinko, subject matter experts from the NRC contractor Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM), made multiple presentations and facilitated group discussions during the workshop.
The attendees enthusiastically participated in the workshop. They asked many pertinent questions, and provided insightful comments related to the subject matter being presented. They also made excellent presentations from the breakout sessions where they held small group discussions of questions posed by the AdSTM facilitators. At the end of the workshop, the PNRI Director expressed a strong desire to continue collaboration with NRC as they continue to move forward in establishing an independent nuclear regulatory body once the draft legislation on nuclear power becomes final and is enacted by the government.