Philippines Looks to Rebuild Nuclear Workforce After Decades of Overseas Talent Drain

The Talent That Left

The Philippines once trained a generation of nuclear engineers and technicians for a plant that never operated. When the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was mothballed in 1986, that expertise scattered. Many retired. Others took their skills to countries willing to pay for them.

The scale of that migration became clear this week when National Power Corporation president Koko Nograles revealed that approximately 80% of the workforce behind the United Arab Emirates' Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant was Filipino. The facility, which houses four 1,400-megawatt reactors, employed around 1,000 Filipinos as of 2024, according to government figures.

"That should remind us of something important - that the Filipino can do nuclear," Nograles said during a briefing on August 11.

The comment carried weight beyond national pride. It underscored both an opportunity and a problem: the Philippines possesses nuclear-capable workers, but most of them are building plants elsewhere.

Workforce Before Concrete

As Manila advances its own nuclear revival, the question of human capital has moved to the forefront. The country is now in Phase 2 of the International Atomic Energy Agency's milestone approach, a stage focused on preparing to solicit bids and contracts for potential projects.

That timeline creates urgency around workforce development. Nograles emphasized that training cannot wait until construction begins. "Building a nuclear power plant is easier than operating one," he said, noting that human resource development is one of 19 infrastructure requirements under the IAEA nuclear roadmap.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin pointed out that the workforce needed extends beyond nuclear engineers. Carpenters, welders, and other skilled tradespeople can receive nuclear-specific training to meet construction demands. "You don't have to be a nuclear engineer to build a nuclear power plant," Garin said.

Signs of Domestic Revival

Interest in nuclear education is beginning to resurface. In February, the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Engineering conducted an interest survey to support reviving its Master's Degree Program in Nuclear Engineering. The program has been dormant for decades, a casualty of the Bataan plant's cancellation and the subsequent policy void around atomic energy.

Private companies are not waiting for domestic programs to mature. Meralco has launched fellowship programs - FISSION and NEST - that send engineers abroad for nuclear engineering studies. The expectation is that these scholars will return and help build the country's nuclear capacity as the utility prepares to integrate atomic power into its portfolio.

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute has long relied on foreign fellowships and training partnerships to maintain a baseline of expertise. Now, those channels are expanding as private players join the effort.

Regulatory and Site Preparation

The government is simultaneously working to establish PhilATOM, an independent atomic energy regulator, while evaluating potential nuclear sites in Bataan, Palawan, Masbate, Pangasinan, and Camarines Norte. Financing arrangements are also under review.

Private power companies are positioning for a potential nuclear market. In July, AboitizPower signed an exploratory agreement with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to conduct joint pre-feasibility studies and share information on nuclear technologies. The agreement does not commit either party to construction.

KHNP has prior ties to the Philippines. The South Korean firm, wholly owned by KEPCO, helped deliver the Barakah plant in the UAE. KEPCO also studied the possible rehabilitation of the Bataan facility in 2009, though that effort did not proceed.

Meralco PowerGen is evaluating small modular reactor deployment, backed by a 2.8 million dollar grant from the US government to assess technologies and identify a preferred option.

The Long Road Ahead

The Philippines is threading a complex path. It must rebuild technical expertise that atrophied over four decades, establish a regulatory framework from near-scratch, and navigate public skepticism rooted in safety concerns and the Bataan plant's troubled history.

The presence of Filipino talent at Barakah and other international nuclear projects offers a template. Those workers demonstrate that the country can produce the skills required. The harder task is creating the conditions for that talent to stay home - or come back.