THE MANILA Electric Company has officially introduced the pilot batch of scholars under its Filipino Scholars and Interns on Nuclear Engineering program.

Participating in the two-year nuclear engineering program in partner institutions abroad are five Meralco engineers namely, Amiela Nicodemus, Gener Atienza, Kenneth Tulagan, Mark Justin Salas, and Marc Laurence Ceria.

Nicodemus and Atienza are set to start the program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States of America; while Tulagan, Salas, and Ceria will undertake the program at Harbin Engineering University in China.

Upon completion of the academic program, the FISSION scholars will be sent to nuclear technology companies for their internship. Once they return to the Philippines in 2028, they will be reintegrated into Meralco and be assigned to take on a role in its nuclear power generation unit.

The FISSION scholars underwent a meticulous screening process conducted by a selection committee composed of energy industry experts and academe professionals including Dr. Ike Dimayuga from the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and Dr. Aura Matias, former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Engineering, among others.

Meralco Power Academy, the energy education unit of the distribution utility, manages and oversees the rollout of FISSION which was launched during its Giga Summit on nuclear and sustainable energy and energy efficiency held in September last year.

MPA has, since then, partnered with top-notch universities offering international graduate programs on nuclear engineering which will allow scholars to have access to nuclear energy laboratories and participate in ongoing research on small and micro modular reactors.

This initiative is part of Meralco’s proactive bid to advance the push for the integration of nuclear power in the country’s energy portfolio. The program also aims to support the government’s thrust to develop and achieve sustainable energy security.

“FISSION is a major step in accelerating the education and training of technical and regulatory talents in the highly specialized field of nuclear engineering. This manifests Meralco’s steadfast commitment in continuously developing the workforce in the energy sector,” Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie Aperocho said.

MPA is also set to welcome 21 engineering students in its six-week Power Camp Internship Program which was relaunched this year.

The students, who will come from partner universities in Metro Manila and Mindanao, will have their on-the-job training and industry immersion from July 3 to August 13 covering 240 internship hours.

The identified interns are high-performing engineering and science students from Ateneo de Manila University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas, Mapua University, and Mindanao State University who were endorsed by their respective colleges.

“This country—and Meralco—should be prepared for and committed to nuclear energy. Supporting aspiring energy professionals will help build a talent pipeline of nuclear energy experts, paving the way for a smarter and greener future for our country,” said Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan.