The Philippines has taken a significant step towards becoming a nuclear power nation with the signing of an agreement that will give it access to US material and equipment.

Washington and Manila signed on Thursday (16 November) a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a “123 Agreement,” at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in San Francisco.

The US State Department said the agreement lays out a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the Philippines and US and is required by US law to allow for the transfer of nuclear equipment and material for peaceful uses.

“With access to US material and equipment, the US and the Philippines will be able to work together to deploy advanced new technologies, including small modular reactors, to support climate goals as well as critical energy security and baseload power needs within the Philippines,” the State Department said.

This agreement also establishes nonproliferation criteria that both governments must uphold such as observing specific standards for items used in civil nuclear energy programmes and limitations on enriching, reprocessing, and transferring specific items without consent.