US, Philippines Reach Major Nuclear Energy Deal

(RepublicanPress.org) – The US Department of State lists America’s relationship with the Philippines as diplomatic since 1946. The federal agency describes the two countries as sharing cultural and historical links and both seeing eye to eye on issues like democracy and human rights. Recently, the nations entered into a nuclear pact, similar to agreements the United States has with many other countries around the world.

On November 16, the US and the Philippines signed a Section 123 Agreement whereby the United States would support the Asian nation’s transition to cleaner energy and increase its power supply. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the agreement in front of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.

The U.S. and the Philippines have signed a nuclear cooperation pact under which U.S. investment and technologies are to help the Southeast Asian nation transition to cleaner energy and bolster its power supply:https://t.co/IEjrOghJFN

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) November 18, 2023

According to a press release, Marcos said his country was looking forward to working with the US and expects nuclear power to become part of the Philippines’ “energy mix by 2032.” Blinken worked out the deal in under a year, making it the fastest time frame for similar agreements. The US secretary said the island nation has an “ambitious goal” of cutting emissions by 75% over the next 7 years. He also said Marcos wants to bolster clean energy production so half of it comes from “renewable sources by…2040.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation Ann Ganzer said the US was “committed to working with the Philippines” to reach the nations’ “shared climate goals,” per the press release.

This agreement is not even close to the first of its kind with the United States. The US Atomic Energy Act requires that Section 123 Agreements be in place to ensure the transfer of nuclear material or equipment from the United States to another nation. Before this current cooperation with the Philippines, the US had 23 agreements covering 47 countries, including the UK, Ukraine, Japan, China, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Vietnam.