Five Years After Fukushima: Is Southeast Asia Ready for Nuclear Power?

By Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Singapore

Since the devastating triple disaster struck Japan in 2011 when a powerful earthquake off Japan’s north-east coast triggered a massive tsunami that
led to the Fukushima nuclear accident, key Southeast Asian stakeholders have been debating whether the region is ready to safely use nuclear power. In August, the Philippines announced its plan to study the opening of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which has never been operated since it was built in the 1980s due to safety concerns. Vietnam plans to open its first nuclear power plant (NPP) by 2028 while Malaysia and Indonesia have long had nuclear energy ambitions although no national decisions have been made yet. It is expected that 0.5-0.6% of power supply in the region will be generated from nuclear power by 2035. Since the triple disaster in Japan, can regional cooperation help ASEAN Member- States strengthen nuclear safety to address public concerns over the introduction of nuclear power in the region?