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 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 plan in Vietnamt. 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.

Read more