Southeast Asia looks to nuclear power to supercharge its energy transition
Most countries in fast-growing Southeast Asia are looking to develop nuclear energy in their quest for cleaner and more reliable energy
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Southeast Asia's only nuclear power plant, completed four decades ago in Bataan, about 40 miles from the Philippine capital Manila, was built in the 1970s but left idle due to safety concerns and corruption. It has never produced a single watt of energy.
Now the Philippines and other countries in fast-growing Southeast Asia are looking to develop nuclear energy in their quest for cleaner and more reliable energy. Nuclear energy is viewed by its proponents as a climate solution since reactors don’t emit the plant-warming greenhouses gases released by burning coal, gas or oil. Advances in technology have helped reduce the risks from radiation, making nuclear plants safer, cheaper to build and smaller.
“We see multiple signs of a new era in nuclear power across the world,” said Faith Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, adding that it expects 2025 to be a historical high for nuclear-generated electricity because of new plants, new national plans and interest in smaller nuclear reactors.
Nuclear energy has been used for decades in wealthier nations like the U.S., France and Japan. It produces about 10% of all electricity generated worldwide, with 413 gigawatts of capacity operating in 32 countries, according to the IEA. That is more than African's entire generating capacity. The IEA says construction of new nuclear power plants needs to “accelerate significantly” in this decade to meet global targets for ending emissions of greenhouse gases.
Southeast Asia will account for a fourth of global energy demand growth between now and 2035, and fossil
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