Researchers in the Philippines have identified a potential source of uranium in a long-explored mining district in Luzon, a discovery that could support the country’s efforts to develop nuclear energy and expand its critical minerals industry if further exploration confirms the deposit is economically viable.
The finding was made in the Larap-Paracale mining district in Camarines Norte province, where exploration began in the 1950s. Researchers from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the University of the Philippines Diliman and Japan’s Akita University found that surface material collected from the newly identified Bessemer area contained uraninite, the principal uranium-bearing mineral found in the samples.
About 180kg of material was collected and analysed in laboratories. The researchers found uraninite grains among other minerals and determined that the material could potentially be processed into a product with a higher uranium concentration. PNRI said the material could potentially be processed into uranium concentrate, commonly known as “yellowcake”, an intermediate product in the nuclear fuel cycle.
“The findings are vital as uranium may become important in the country’s foray into nuclear energy,” PNRI said in a statement.
The discovery does not yet establish that the deposit can be commercially developed. PNRI said further work would be required to assess its economic significance, including detailed geological, radiometric and geophysical surveys, followed by systematic drilling and analysis of drill cores.
The research comes as the Philippines moves towards integrating nuclear power into its future energy mix. The Philippine Energy Plan targets at least 1,200 megawatts of nuclear capacity by 2032, while the government is also seeking to develop its critical minerals sector as part of a wider industrialisation strategy.
Djoan Kate Tungpalan, a professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman who led the uranium extraction and recovery work, said the discovery could have broader implications if further exploration demonstrates that the resource is sufficiently large and economically viable.
Tungpalan said a domestic uranium option “could significantly strengthen our long-term energy security and resilience and make us less dependent on fluctuations in international markets and supply chains”. She nevertheless said the sensible first step for the Philippines, as a newcomer to nuclear power, would be to import nuclear fuel from established suppliers such as Kazakhstan.
The country is rebuilding capabilities in a nuclear fuel cycle that was first developed more than four decades ago, according to Angel Bautista VII, a PNRI scientist who heads nuclear materials research. Early preparations for nuclear power were slowed after the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the broader nuclear programme were mothballed in 1986 following concerns associated with the Chernobyl disaster and allegations of corruption.
A government-funded Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research Programme launched in 2024 is now developing capabilities ranging from uranium exploration and recovery to radioactive waste management. Research also covers recovering uranium from ores, seawater and fertiliser by-products, alongside the development of a nuclear power plant simulator.
Bautista said the country remained at an early stage and was still far from establishing a commercial nuclear-fuel industry. Tungpalan said the Philippines could develop selected parts of the fuel cycle domestically while relying on international partners for others, particularly more sensitive stages such as enrichment.
The uranium discovery also comes as Manila considers nuclear power as part of plans for energy-intensive industrial development. The proposed 1,620-hectare Pax Silica hub for semiconductor, artificial intelligence and critical mineral supply chains would require 3 gigawatts of embedded generation capacity, according to Carlo Arcilla, a former PNRI director and University of the Philippines lecturer.
“The value of [this finding], therefore, is not that it must supply our first nuclear power plant, but that it could give our country an important strategic option as our nuclear energy programme grows,” Tungpalan said.
