After nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushimi, nuclear energy suffered a decrease in global perception. However, among the many climate crisis and the growing demand for electricity, the narrative begins to alter.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) claims that about 10% of worldwide electricity is currently from nuclear energy, with a complete capability of 413 gigawats spread in 32 countries – greater than all electricity capability in Africa.
IEA also emphasizes that the event of nuclear energy could have to “significantly increase” this decade to realize global goals of carbon neutrality.
Southeast Asia currently appears as a brand new battlefield for energy, and the demand for electricity is triple until 2050 to fulfill this growth, nuclear energy is again regarded as a promising alternative – even a minimum of no nuclear power plants are currently operating within the region.
An increase in nuclear ambitions in Southeast Asia
It is anticipated that Southeast Asia will contribute to the quarter of the worldwide increase in energy demand to 2035, with a big a part of its energy supply still strongly depending on fossil fuels. Among the assembly to cut back carbon dioxide emissions and rapidly growing electricity needs, nuclear energy is increasingly considered a possible solution – even a minimum of nuclear power plants (NPP) are currently operating within the region.
Indonesia was on the primary pages of newspapers initially of 2025 with an ambitious construction plan to construct 20 recent nuclear power plants, from 2036, within the case of success, Indonesia would develop into the primary country of Southeast Asia, which runs a nuclear power plant, breaking the region’s long-term caution against nuclear technology.
The Indonesian government has chosen small modular reactors (SMR) as its flagship technology-reactors of the Next generation, which, as claims, are safer, more profitable and faster to construct.
However, the plan will not be without challenges. Indonesia lies along the seismically lively fire ring, which makes it vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Public concerns related to the chance of nuclear disasters remain high.
Despite this, Indonesia’s partnership with the American company Thorcon and cooperation between PLN and firms from Japan and the US reflect the seriousness of Jakarta in solving these threats. Interest also comes from Russia, South Korea, France and China.
In fact, President Putin and President Prabowo discussed nuclear cooperation in August last yr. Russia Rosatom also signed an agreement on the event of floating nuclear power plants, although a transparent schedule was not established.
Indonesia will not be alone. The Philippines are preparing to reactivate the Bataan nuclear power plant with a capability of two x 600 MW, and likewise examine the event of SMR.
Also read: The history of the primary nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia
Vietnam revived its nuclear project, which was previously canceled in 2016 because of costs of $ 18 billion. In January 2025, Wietnam signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement with Russia and estimates that about 2,400 specialists might want to support the project.
Meanwhile, countries comparable to Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Singapore also showed interest in nuclear energy, although most remain on the early stages of debate or enforceability research.
Double -edged sword: pure energy or risk?
With global emphasis on the neutrality of coal by 2050. Nuclear energy is becoming an increasing number of attractive to ASEAN countries. According to the Energy Research Institute Ember, the Philippines and Indonesia were the 2 most-dependent countries in Southeast Asia in 2023.
Because nuclear power plants don’t produce direct coal emissions and may replace production based on fossil fuels, many perceive them as an actual solution to modify to wash energy.
However, skepticism stays strong. Nuclear power plants are extremely expensive in construction, constructing years and infrequently require many years to realize a return on investment.
For example, one SMR project in Idaho within the USA was canceled after its cost for a megawat-hour (MWH) from 55 to 89 USD, in accordance with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
On the opposite hand, environmental activists, comparable to Derek Cabe from nuclear movement and without coal, Batan, call the narrative of “pure energy” in regards to the illusion of nuclear energy, as reported by DW. He emphasizes that Uranus – primary fuel – will not be extracted and transported, which still produces emissions.
Cabe also criticizes the dearth of political will and the dominance of corporate interests as key obstacles within the transition towards renewable energy sources, comparable to salty, hydro and wind, which are literally abundant within the region.
Despite this, the international possibilities of financing nuclear energy are starting to open. Fourteen global financial institutions expressed support for the doubles of worldwide nuclear abilities until 2050 throughout the Summit of the New York climate. However, the World Bank still refuses to finance nuclear energy projects.
