The Philippines' largest electricity distributor has said it is in talks with the United States about possibly using a new form of nuclear energy technology.

The head of Manila Electric Company, or Meralco, said the utility is applying for a grant from the US to conduct a feasibility study for small modular reactors, known as SMRs.

Meralco said SMRs' size and reliability make the technology "suitable for an archipelagic topography such as the Philippines".

SMR is a new type of nuclear reactor. It generates much less electricity than a conventional reactor, but it can be built in a shorter period and it is easier to cool down.

Meralco's move comes as the country's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushes for alternative sources of energy, including the use of nuclear power.

The private utility wants the Philippines to be ready for SMRs, and it is urging the government to come up with policies and regulations to support the technology.

Marcos met with US Vice President Kamala Harris in November. The two countries announced the launch of negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation to help increase the Philippines' energy security.

The country tried to shift to nuclear power before. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1984 but the facility was mothballed after only two years, following the ouster of the late dictator President Ferdinand Marcos. Nearly four decades later, the public is skeptical about operating the aged facility.

The Philippines faces challenges because of growing electricity demand. Power distributors are often forced to implement rotational brownouts during the summer, and when plants malfunction.

Higher fuel costs due to the Russia-Ukraine war have pushed up electricity prices, which has made nuclear power a hot topic in the Philippines.