Potential source of uranium found in Camarines Norte

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino scientists have identified a potential uranium resource in Camarines Norte which they hope can help fuel the country’s ambitions for nuclear energy, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said on Friday.

Researchers from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)–PNRI, and Japan’s Akita University reported that uranium-bearing minerals were found on surface deposits at the Bessemer mine pit in the Larap-Paracale district of Jose Panganiban town.

The area is a “historic center” that has been explored for uranium for decades, the PNRI said in a statement.Among other findings, the work confirmed that uraninite is the main uranium-bearing mineral on the material examined in the study.

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The researchers said they developed a laboratory process to concentrate the material for further testing.

This material “can be processed into a product with higher uranium content,” the PNRI said.

Depth not yet established

“This finding is an important step toward further research on producing uranium concentrate, commonly known as ‘yellowcake,’ an intermediate material used in the nuclear fuel cycle,” the agency also said.

But the amount of uranium underground has yet to be determined.

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“Because the present work examined only surface manifestations, it does not establish the depth of the deposit, how thick it is, or how deep and widespread the uranium-bearing zones are,” the PNRI said.

Potential nuclear sites

The research, however, may prove important as the Philippines advances plans to include nuclear power in its future energy mix, the agency said.

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Under the Philippine Energy Plan, the country is targeting at least 1,200 megawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2032.

In August, President Marcos signed Executive Order No. 122, creating a national framework for developing the Philippine critical minerals industry, emphasizing investment, local mineral processing, value addition and downstream industries.

Earlier, the Department of Energy said the government identified potential nuclear sites across five provinces and was exploring financing options as it aims to add 1.4 gigawatts of nuclear capacity within 12 years.

Of the seven potential sites, two are located in Bataan, two in Palawan, and one each in Masbate, Pangasinan and Camarines Norte.

Clear opportunity

Researchers said determining whether Larap contains enough uranium to be considered potentially economically significant would require a much more extensive exploration program.

They said this would involve detailed geological, radiometric and geophysical surveys, followed by systematic drilling and analysis of drill cores.

These activities would enable geologists to develop a three-dimensional map of the mineralization and determine the extent of the deposits and their uranium content, they added.

“Only after such work can geologists confidently assess the area’s resource potential. This represents a clear opportunity for the next phase of the work,” the PNRI said, adding institutions and investors could help support the “full-scale exploration of what lies underground.”

Uranium, a heavy metal, is the primary fuel for nuclear reactors to produce electricity through nuclear fission. A pencil-eraser-sized uranium pellet can produce as much energy as one ton of coal, three barrels of oil, or about two tanker loads of natural gas, according to the PNRI.

Other valuable minerals

In Camarines Norte, the sampled mineralized zone measured about half a meter in width, from which researchers collected 180 kilograms of material for laboratory analysis.

Through microscopy, X-ray diffraction and advanced elemental analysis, the researchers confirmed the presence of uraninite grains alongside minerals containing copper and molybdenum, as well as iron-bearing magnetite.

The government is still finalizing the Philippines’ official Critical Minerals List, so the study does not assume that any of the resources examined will eventually be classified as critical minerals, the PNRI clarified.

Even so, it said the “broader significance” of the research was not that the Philippines is ready to produce its own nuclear fuel, but that Filipino scientists are now capable of developing methods to concentrate a potential uranium resource.

The PNRI said the next question for the Larap mine was now clear: “What lies beneath the surface, and is there enough of it to justify the next stage of exploration?”

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The study was funded through the DOST’s Grants-in-Aid Program under the NuCycle Program–NuMER Project and jointly carried out by the UP Diliman Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and the PNRI. /cb