Technical evolution of the Philippine Radioactive Waste Management Facility: Infrastructure development, regulatory alignment, and inventory overview

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute–Radioactive Waste Management Facility (PNRI-RWMF) serves as the country’s centralized facility for the acceptance, handling, conditioning, and interim storage of radioactive waste from authorized non-power applications. This paper evaluates the technical evolution, current operations, regulatory alignment, inventory status, and future waste management implications of the PNRI-RWMF. Documentary review, historical analysis, inventory assessment, ambient dose monitoring evaluation, and CPR–IAEA regulatory alignment were used to assess facility performance and improvement needs. Results show that the PNRI-RWMF has developed from early radioactive waste control activities into a centralized predisposal facility with established practices for waste acceptance, documentation, DSRS handling, encapsulation, storage zoning, radiation protection, and security control. From 2020 to 2024, disused sealed radioactive sources remained the most dynamic waste stream, while solid waste, liquid waste, and selected nuclear materials showed limited inventory movement. Ambient dose monitoring results remained within controlled levels, indicating the effectiveness of existing shielding, access control, storage zoning, and radiation protection practices. Key gaps include safety case development, treatment and conditioning upgrades, DSRS characterization, storage capacity review, disposal pathway planning, and continued security enhancement. These findings support facility modernization and long-term radioactive waste management planning in the Philippines.