E.O. 116 directing a study for the adoption of a national position on a nuclear energy program, constituting a nuclear energy program inter-agency committee.
DOST-PNRI director Dr. Carlo Arcilla said nuclear energy is the best option for the country’s long-term plans for more affordable power generation. The enactment of the Comprehensive Atomic Regulatory Act which will create an independent nuclear regulatory body in the country is also being pushed by DOST-PNRI. International standards prescribe a separate agency that will handle the regulation of all activities and facilities involving sources of ionizing radiation.
Currently, the DOST-PNRI serves as the national regulatory body for nuclear and radioactive materials. “A single pellet of uranium fuel almost the size of a pencil eraser contains as much energy as a ton of coal , three barrels of oil , or as much as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas,” according to Dr. Arcilla.