Type Research reactor Shutdown date 1988 | First Criticality August 26, 1963 | |
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Operating Institution Location University of the Philippines - Diliman grounds, Quezon City Similar Quezon Memorial Circle, La Mesa Dam and Reservoir, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, People Power Monument, Mount Apo | ||
The Philippine Research Reactor-1 (PRR-1) is an inactive research reactor for decommissioning in Quezon City, Philippines. The PRR-1 is the first nuclear reactor in the Philippines.
History
The Philippine Research Reactor was built under the Atoms for Peace nuclear research exchange program of the United States. The reactor which had its first criticality in August 26, 1963, was built by U.S. firm General Atomics and was originally a 1MW open general-purpose reactor.
The Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC; then name of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute) decided to convert the reactor into a TRIGA Mark III reactor in 1984. The converted reactor achieved criticality in April 1988. It had a capacity of 3MW and has the ability to use low-enriched uranium instead of highly enriched uranium. On the same year, the reactor pool had a leak which led to the reactor being shut down. There were plans to repair the reactor with collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency but such plans were abandoned.
In 2005, it was decided that the reactor would be decommissioned.