As global representatives gather in Belem, Brazil this week to explore next steps to mitigate climate change, many will recall the ambitious pledge of 20 countries at COP28 to triple nuclear energy output by 2050, a historic recognition of nuclear power as a key element of world efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. Yet for developing and middle-income countries, realizing this “nuclear renaissance” brings its own set of challenges, from geopolitics and governance to financing, infrastructure, and workforce development. These pressures are particularly palpable in Southeast Asia, where six of the 11 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are exploring or are already investing in nuclear power.
Southeast Asia Energy Crunch
Southeast Asia, where fossil fuels currently dominate the power mix, is a priority zone for rapid adaptation. Electricity demand in the region is projected to grow by 4% annually through 2035, accounting for a quarter of global energy demand growth and adding more than South Korea’s entire energy demand over the next decade. To meet net zero commitments, the region needs to massively expand investment in and access to clean energy while ensuring power system reliability and affordability for consumers and manufacturing. Most countries are taking an all-of-the-above approach to meet the surging energy demand, targeting not only solar and wind, which are broadly available in the region, but also alternatives including hydrogen, geothermal, and nuclear power.
An Ambivalent History with Nuclear Energy
As the COP28 pledge underscored, nuclear energy will be critical to balancing many national clean energy portfolios given its ability — unlike wind or solar — to provide consistent stable baseload to national grids. Yet, despite a long history in southeast Asian regional power plans, concerns around safety, waste management, and financing have slowed its adoption.
The Philippines completed building the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in 1984 but never began operations due to safety concerns, including its proximity to a fault line. Vietnam initially planned to deploy nuclear energy in the early 2000s but removed two nuclear power plants from its national power development plan (PDP) in 2016 due to cost concerns. Thailand included nuclear energy in national PDPs between 2007-2015 before removing them from the 2018 PDP. Malaysia decided in 2018 to forgo nuclear energy given concerns over risks and waste management.
Atoms for ASEAN
But that was then. Given both net-zero commitments as well as the emergence of advanced and small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear energy is again attracting policy support and investment. Five countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — are responsible for 89% of the region’s energy demand, and all of them are moving forward with plans for nuclear energy. As part of a push for expansion of renewable energy in Indonesia, the government plans to rollout 10,000 MW of nuclear energy by 2040. Malaysia’s thirteenth national plan revives nuclear energy as part of Malaysia’s net-zero journey, although specific targets will be determined through future study. In 2022 the Philippines indicated plans to add nuclear energy back into the national power mix, and in September 2025, the government established the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM) as the country’s independent nuclear regulator. PhilATOM will oversee all nuclear and radiation-related activities, ensuring that all aspects of nuclear energy infrastructure — from siting through to licensing and operation — are peaceful, safe, and secure. In 2024, Thailand added 600 MW of SMRS back into its draft PDP. And in April 2025, Vietnam approved the latest iteration of its PDP to include between 4,000-6,400 MW of nuclear power by 2053 and 8,000 MW of nuclear power by 2050.
Laying the Groundwork
These new plans will require significant regulatory, educational, and investment efforts to ensure their success. Many countries in the region slowed or ceased training programs for the nuclear field. Vietnam, for instance, has already identified a need to rapidly rebuild its educational and training pipeline for the technical, regulatory, and policy experts in nuclear energy in order to support its planned nuclear plant coming online in 2030.
Before construction decisions can be made, however, governments must determine what type of reactors they plan to deploy. Many Southeast Asian states are evaluating small modular and advanced reactor designs, yet most of these technologies remain in early stages of licensing and commercial deployment. Of 127 SMR designs under consideration globally, only Russia and China have operational SMRs. Key questions remain regarding fuel supply chains, waste management pathways, long-term security and safeguards requirements, and total lifecycle cost.
These choices are further shaped by geopolitics: Major nuclear suppliers — Russia, China, South Korea, France, and the United States — offer distinct reactor technologies, financing models, training programs, political expectations, and deployment timelines. For example, Russia offers a comprehensive “build-own-operate” package that is attractive to many countries considering nuclear energy and will even remove spent nuclear fuel, which is often a politically charged issue for governments and communities to grapple with. The United States meanwhile is racing to reignite its domestic civil nuclear sector and reclaim technological and export primacy after ceding the field in recent decades to Russia and China, both of which have the power of the state behind their nuclear industry for a potentially faster turnaround time for initiating these significant projects. Yet, choice of supplier brings with it a “100-year relationship” of servicing and supply, for better or for worse, and Russia’s unprecedented seizure and occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during the course of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine may give some governments pause in accepting Moscow strategic leverage over a critical energy asset.
Looking Ahead
To capitalize on this moment, regional governments and their partners will need to take the time to thoroughly evaluate reactor technologies, negotiate supplier arrangements, and develop the domestic expertise necessary to operate and regulate nuclear power safely and securely. Countries in the region need to begin now to invest in sustained workforce development, strengthening regulatory infrastructure, and cultivating a public that is informed on the benefits and risks of nuclear energy and the responsibility that comes with it. A coordinated regional approach could help spread the cost burden and streamline nuclear adoption through joint feasibility studies, shared training centers, and regional safety and security exercises. Ultimately, selecting a nuclear supplier is a long-term strategic decision that reflects each country’s broader national interests. Countries will need to weigh carefully the technical, financial, and geopolitical implications of different nuclear suppliers before making long-term commitments with lasting consequences.
Nuclear Energy Challenges in Southeast Asia’s Clean Energy Transition
By Christina McAllister • Cindy Vestergaard • Courtney Weatherby
Nonproliferation
As countries around the world grapple with the clean energy transition and the challenges of rapidly expanding solar, wind, and battery storage, many countries are turning to nuclear power as an additional option. In Southeast Asia, the five countries responsible for the vast majority of regional power consumption have all taken steps to write nuclear power into national plans. After a historical back-and-forth on whether to adopt nuclear given concerns over cost, waste management, and risks, the region must now grapple with geopolitical and governance considerations, as well as reinvestment in human, technical, regulatory, and institutional capacity to ensure success in a nuclear transition.
As global representatives gather in Belem, Brazil this week to explore next steps to mitigate climate change, many will recall the ambitious pledge of 20 countries at COP28 to triple nuclear energy output by 2050, a historic recognition of nuclear power as a key element of world efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. Yet for developing and middle-income countries, realizing this “nuclear renaissance” brings its own set of challenges, from geopolitics and governance to financing, infrastructure, and workforce development. These pressures are particularly palpable in Southeast Asia, where six of the 11 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are exploring or are already investing in nuclear power.
Southeast Asia Energy Crunch
Southeast Asia, where fossil fuels currently dominate the power mix, is a priority zone for rapid adaptation. Electricity demand in the region is projected to grow by 4% annually through 2035, accounting for a quarter of global energy demand growth and adding more than South Korea’s entire energy demand over the next decade. To meet net zero commitments, the region needs to massively expand investment in and access to clean energy while ensuring power system reliability and affordability for consumers and manufacturing. Most countries are taking an all-of-the-above approach to meet the surging energy demand, targeting not only solar and wind, which are broadly available in the region, but also alternatives including hydrogen, geothermal, and nuclear power.
An Ambivalent History with Nuclear Energy
As the COP28 pledge underscored, nuclear energy will be critical to balancing many national clean energy portfolios given its ability — unlike wind or solar — to provide consistent stable baseload to national grids. Yet, despite a long history in southeast Asian regional power plans, concerns around safety, waste management, and financing have slowed its adoption.
The Philippines completed building the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in 1984 but never began operations due to safety concerns, including its proximity to a fault line. Vietnam initially planned to deploy nuclear energy in the early 2000s but removed two nuclear power plants from its national power development plan (PDP) in 2016 due to cost concerns. Thailand included nuclear energy in national PDPs between 2007-2015 before removing them from the 2018 PDP. Malaysia decided in 2018 to forgo nuclear energy given concerns over risks and waste management.
Atoms for ASEAN
But that was then. Given both net-zero commitments as well as the emergence of advanced and small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear energy is again attracting policy support and investment. Five countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — are responsible for 89% of the region’s energy demand, and all of them are moving forward with plans for nuclear energy. As part of a push for expansion of renewable energy in Indonesia, the government plans to rollout 10,000 MW of nuclear energy by 2040. Malaysia’s thirteenth national plan revives nuclear energy as part of Malaysia’s net-zero journey, although specific targets will be determined through future study. In 2022 the Philippines indicated plans to add nuclear energy back into the national power mix, and in September 2025, the government established the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM) as the country’s independent nuclear regulator. PhilATOM will oversee all nuclear and radiation-related activities, ensuring that all aspects of nuclear energy infrastructure — from siting through to licensing and operation — are peaceful, safe, and secure. In 2024, Thailand added 600 MW of SMRS back into its draft PDP. And in April 2025, Vietnam approved the latest iteration of its PDP to include between 4,000-6,400 MW of nuclear power by 2053 and 8,000 MW of nuclear power by 2050.
Laying the Groundwork
These new plans will require significant regulatory, educational, and investment efforts to ensure their success. Many countries in the region slowed or ceased training programs for the nuclear field. Vietnam, for instance, has already identified a need to rapidly rebuild its educational and training pipeline for the technical, regulatory, and policy experts in nuclear energy in order to support its planned nuclear plant coming online in 2030.
Before construction decisions can be made, however, governments must determine what type of reactors they plan to deploy. Many Southeast Asian states are evaluating small modular and advanced reactor designs, yet most of these technologies remain in early stages of licensing and commercial deployment. Of 127 SMR designs under consideration globally, only Russia and China have operational SMRs. Key questions remain regarding fuel supply chains, waste management pathways, long-term security and safeguards requirements, and total lifecycle cost.
These choices are further shaped by geopolitics: Major nuclear suppliers — Russia, China, South Korea, France, and the United States — offer distinct reactor technologies, financing models, training programs, political expectations, and deployment timelines. For example, Russia offers a comprehensive “build-own-operate” package that is attractive to many countries considering nuclear energy and will even remove spent nuclear fuel, which is often a politically charged issue for governments and communities to grapple with. The United States meanwhile is racing to reignite its domestic civil nuclear sector and reclaim technological and export primacy after ceding the field in recent decades to Russia and China, both of which have the power of the state behind their nuclear industry for a potentially faster turnaround time for initiating these significant projects. Yet, choice of supplier brings with it a “100-year relationship” of servicing and supply, for better or for worse, and Russia’s unprecedented seizure and occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during the course of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine may give some governments pause in accepting Moscow strategic leverage over a critical energy asset.
Looking Ahead
To capitalize on this moment, regional governments and their partners will need to take the time to thoroughly evaluate reactor technologies, negotiate supplier arrangements, and develop the domestic expertise necessary to operate and regulate nuclear power safely and securely. Countries in the region need to begin now to invest in sustained workforce development, strengthening regulatory infrastructure, and cultivating a public that is informed on the benefits and risks of nuclear energy and the responsibility that comes with it. A coordinated regional approach could help spread the cost burden and streamline nuclear adoption through joint feasibility studies, shared training centers, and regional safety and security exercises. Ultimately, selecting a nuclear supplier is a long-term strategic decision that reflects each country’s broader national interests. Countries will need to weigh carefully the technical, financial, and geopolitical implications of different nuclear suppliers before making long-term commitments with lasting consequences.
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