The logo of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is pictured at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow on October 16, 2025. — AFP Photo

Takashi Itoda

BANGKOK — Southeast Asia’s trend toward adopting new nuclear power reactors is gaining momentum.

While move is partly viewed in the region as a way to meet rising electricity demand fueled by economic growth, the trend is also being accelerated by the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, which has sparked concerns over supply disruptions and sent prices of crude oil and liquefied natural gas soaring.

Russia’s national policy of promoting exports of its nuclear power infrastructure have been particularly notable in the push toward nuclear development in region, and Japanese and U.S. companies are looking closely for a potential boom in the Southeast Asian market.

New reactor plans

In mid-May, Alexey Likhachev, director general of the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, visited Indonesia and met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta. The two discussed nuclear power.

“We are discussing not only technologies, but also the creation of a long-term partnership” focused on the training of personnel and other areas, Likhachev said.

During the visit, the director general stressed that Rosatom was committed to offering comprehensive cooperation with Indonesia’s nuclear industry, not only for conventional large-scale reactors but also next-generation reactors, such as small modular reactors (SMRs).

Indonesia has plans to construct two new nuclear power plants, with 2032-2033 slated for the start of their operations.

In December and April, Prabowo visited Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During talks, the two affirmed that they would strengthen their countries’ cooperation in the energy sector. The meeting shows that Indonesia is leaning more and more toward importing reactors from Russia.

Việt Nam, meanwhile, signed an intergovernmental agreement with Russia in March. The agreement stipulates that Russia will construct nuclear power plants in the country, with Rosatom’s reactors being used. Rosatom said it plans to build new nuclear reactors that will have a combined output of 2.4 million kilowatts.

Demand likely to triple in region

In Southeast Asia, as in other parts of the world, construction of new data centers, which consume large amounts of electricity, is proceeding rapidly. The region is therefore expected to see a tight supply-demand balance for electricity, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations estimating that energy demand will triple by 2050.

Currently, the region is home to no operational nuclear power plants. For its power generation, Southeast Asia relies primarily on fossil fuels, such as LNG and other natural gases as well as coal. With the world trending toward decarbonization, and with risks emerging related to the supply and prices of fossil fuels due to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has described nuclear power as a strategic option for strengthening energy security.

That view is gaining traction in the region.

Japan firms also pay attention

In 2025, the Asian Development Bank, an institution that supports infrastructure development in Asian countries, lifted its ban on financing nuclear power plant construction. The ban had been in place due to concerns over nuclear proliferation risks. The ADB, of which the United States and Japan are the largest contributors, made the move in response to requests from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, an advocate of promoting nuclear power exports. The lifting of the ban is seen as a step to facilitate U.S. companies’ exports of nuclear power plants.

Japanese nuclear-related companies are also turning their attention to Southeast Asia. In March, Hitachi, Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with GE Vernova Inc., a major US power systems company, to cooperate in marketing SMRs in Southeast Asia through a joint venture. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum attended the signing ceremony.

The two companies are currently moving ahead with plans to construct SMRs in Canada.

“There have been no projects to construct new nuclear power plants in Japan for a long period of time, so relevant expertise and experience are being lost,” said Kenji Kimura, a senior researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, who is well-versed in the Japanese nuclear industry. “In the future, Japan will need to cooperate with the United States to strengthen the foundation of its nuclear industry.” — The Japan News/ANN