Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 next)
Given both net-zero carbon commitments as well as the emergence of next generation and small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear power is again attracting policy support and investment. Five countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are responsible for eight nine percent of the region’s energy demand, and all of them are moving forward with plans for nuclear power. As part of a push for expansion of renewable energy in Indonesia, the government plans to rollout ten thousand megawatts of nuclear power by 2040. Malaysia’s thirteenth national plan revives nuclear power as part of Malaysia’s net-zero carbon journey, although specific targets will be determined through future study. In 2022 the Philippines published plans to add nuclear power 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 regulatory agency. PhilATOM will oversee all nuclear and radiation-related activities, ensuring that all aspects of nuclear power infrastructure from siting through to licensing and operation are peaceful, safe, and secure. In 2024, Thailand added six hundred megawatts SMRs back into its draft PDP. And in April 2025, Vietnam approved the latest iteration of its PDP to include between four thousand to six thousand megawatts nuclear power by 2053 and eight thousand megawatts of nuclear power by 2050.
These new plans will need significant regulatory, educational, and investment efforts to ensure their success. Many countries in the Southeast Asia region slowed or ceased training programs for the nuclear field. Vietnam has already identified a need to quickly rebuild its educational and training pipeline for the technical, regulatory, and policy experts in nuclear power in order to support its planned nuclear plant coming online in 2030.
Before construction decisions can be made, however, national governments must determine what type of nuclear reactors they plan to deploy. Many Southeast Asian states are evaluating SMR and advanced reactor designs, yet most of these technologies remain in early stages of licensing and commercial deployment. Of one hundred and twenty-seven SMR designs under consideration globally, only Russia and China have operational SMRs. Critical questions remain regarding fuel supply chains, waste management pathways, long-term security and safeguards requirements, and total lifecycle cost.
The answers to these questions are further shaped by geopolitics. Major nuclear suppliers including Russia, China, South Korea, France, and the United States offer different reactor technologies, financing models, training programs, political expectations, and deployment timelines. Russia offers a comprehensive “build-own-operate” package that is attractive to many countries considering nuclear power and will even remove spent nuclear fuel, which is often a politically charged issue for governments and communities to deal with. The U.S. meanwhile is racing to revitalize its domestic civil nuclear sector and reclaim technological and export primacy after ceding the field in recent decades to Russia and China. Both of them have the power of the state behind their nuclear industries for a potentially faster turnaround time for initiating these significant projects. Yet, choice of supplier brings with it a “one-hundred-year relationship” of servicing and supply, for better or for worse. Russia’s seizure and occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine may give some governments pause in accepting Moscow strategic leverage over a critical energy asset.
To take advantage of 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 developing a public that is informed about the benefits and risks of nuclear power and the responsibility that comes with it. A coordinated regional approach for Southeast Asia 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 must align with each country’s broader national interests. Countries will need to carefully weigh the technical, financial, and geopolitical implications of different nuclear suppliers before they make long-term commitments with lasting consequences.