Nuclear power is back on Southeast Asia's energy agenda

Southeast Asian governments are revisiting nuclear power as electricity consumption raises, exposing the region's dependence on fossil 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 .

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.

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. 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.

Vietnam also wants to bring its two Ninh Thuan plants into operation by 2035 and pursue at least one SMR 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.

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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