Southeast Asian governments are revisiting nuclear power as electricity consumption raises, exposing the region's dependence on fossil fuels.
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consumption → revisit → fuels
The rise is largely driven by new factories, electric vehicles and the region's rush to host data centers against the backdrop of countries trying to reduce carbon emissions.
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rise → drive → emissions
No Southeast Asian nation currently operates a commercial nuclear power plant, but several are now placing their bets on nuclear energy and reviving plans that had been stalled for years.
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that → operate → years
On September 8, Vietnam's state-owned Petrovietnam and South Korea's KEPCO agreed to deepen cooperation on the planned Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear plant.
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KEPCO → own → plant
Six days later, Singapore's government said it was studying nuclear power and small modular reactors (SMRs)with an "open mind", though it stressed that it had not made a decision.
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it → say → decision
Vietnam also wants to bring its two Ninh Thuan plants into operation by 2035 and pursue at least one SMR project.
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Vietnam → want → project
Indonesia plans an initial 500 megawatts of nuclear capacity, with units targeted to begin operating in 2032, while the Philippines is working towards its first 1,200 MW of nuclear capacity from the same year.
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Philippines → plan → year
Thailand's latest draft power plan proposes its first SMR in 2037, while Malaysia and Singapore remain at the study stage.
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Malaysia → propose → stage
The renewed interest marks a sharp reversal from the caution that followed Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
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that → renew → 2011
The incident stalled several Southeast Asian countries' plans to pursue nuclear energy, Alvin Chew, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told DW.
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Chew → stall → DW
But a string of geopolitical shocks in recent years has changed the energy debate.
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string → change → debate
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says Southeast Asia's electricity generation has risen by around 60% since 2015, but coal supplied most of that increase, pushing its share of regional generation from 37% to 47%.
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coal → say → %
The war in Ukraine and the current Middle East crisis have heightened energy-security concerns for developing countries, even as most Southeast Asian governments have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 or 2060, Chew said.
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Chew → heighten → 2050
The region's electricity demand is forecast to grow by an average of 5.3% a year between 2026 and 2030.
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demand → forecast → 2026
"Nuclear energy is deemed to be the viable solution to address both challenges of climate and energy security," Chew said.
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Chew → deem → climate
Appeal of modular reactors
One reason governments are reconsidering nuclear power is that today's technology is starkly different from what was used 15 years ago in Fukushima.
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what → reconsider → Fukushima
SMRs have broadened the range of possible projects.
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SMRs → broaden → projects
Unlike conventional reactors, SMRs are designed as smaller units that can potentially be added in stages.
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that → design → stages
"In the past, deploying nuclear energy generally meant building very large conventional reactors, involving long construction periods, enormous upfront investments and requiring electricity grids capable of absorbing very large generating units," Jie-Sheng Tan-Soo, assistant professor and director at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, told DW.
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Soo → deploy → DW
"SMRs have changed the nuclear conversation in Southeast Asia because they potentially make nuclear compatible with smaller grids, smaller countries and more incremental investment," he added.
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he → change → grids
That does not mean SMRs will solve nuclear power's economics.
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SMRs → mean → economics
Many designs remain at an early stage of deployment, meaning promises of cheaper construction through mass production have yet to be demonstrated on a broad commercial scale.
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promises → remain → scale
Another force pushing nuclear energy back onto the agenda is the rapid expansion of data centers, which require large quantities of reliable electricity, Julius Cesar Trajano, a research fellow with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at RSIS, told DW.
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Trajano → push → DW
The IEA expects electricity consumption from Southeast Asian data centers to more than double by 2030.
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consumption → expect → 2030
More than 70% of existing regional data-center capacity is concentrated in Singapore and Johor in southern Malaysia.
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% → exist → Malaysia
"Countries are therefore approaching nuclear energy with greater emphasis on governance and regulatory capacity than during earlier attempts," said Trajano.
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Trajano → approach → attempts
Building a nuclear safety net
The hardest problems, however, remain much the same.
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problems → build → net
Nuclear plants, even SMRs, still require a lot of time and money, and newcomer countries must establish independent regulators, train specialist workforces and develop credible systems for radioactive waste and emergency response.
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countries → require → waste
Geography adds another layer of difficulty.
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Geography → add → difficulty
Parts of Southeast Asia are vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, making site selection and emergency planning particularly sensitive.
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selection → make → earthquakes
Nuclear power also places unusually heavy demands on state institutions, Tan-Soo said.
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Soo → place → institutions
Governments need institutions that take a long time to establish and must remain reliable for decades.
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that → need → decades
"For countries developing nuclear power for the first time, building this ecosystem can take as much effort as building the plant itself," he added.
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he → develop → plant
Long road to wielding nuclear power
Public support is another matter.
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support → wield → power
A Philippine government survey released last year found that more than 70% of respondents supported nuclear energy's potential role in providing electricity.
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% → release → electricity
By contrast, the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook 2026 reported that 78% of respondents placed nuclear as their least-preferred energy source.
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% → report → source
"The biggest obstacle is the political will to proceed with adoption of nuclear energy, which, to a certain extent, is dependent on public perception," said Chew.
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Chew → proceed → perception
Southeast Asia's highly varied national capacities and electricity systems also make a common pathway unlikely, Trajano said.
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Trajano → make → ?
Vietnam has revived plans for large conventional plants, Indonesia and Thailand are giving greater attention to SMRs, while Singapore is still building the expertise needed to determine whether nuclear power is suitable at all.
"There is clearly much more political momentum behind nuclear power in Southeast Asia today than there was a decade ago, and I think some countries could ultimately deploy it," Tan-Soo said.
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Soo → revive → it
"But moving from announcing a nuclear ambition to financing, licensing, constructing and safely operating a reactor is an enormous step."
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moving → move → reactor
The Aporia
