--- title: The Role of Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia description: Explore the role of nuclear energy in Southeast Asia's future energy landscape, focusing on cost efficiency, reliability, and environmental impact. --- [![CAnes logo\[96\]](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png?width=300&height=91&name=CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png "CAnes logo[96]")](https://canes.mit.edu/) [![canes](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/canes.png?width=300&height=91&name=canes.png "canes")](https://canes.mit.edu/) [![](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/canes.png?width=500&height=152&name=canes.png)](https://canes.mit.edu/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [the center](https://canes.mit.edu/center) - [science + engineering](https://canes.mit.edu/science-engineering) - [E+ Lab](https://canes.mit.edu/epluslab) - [publications](https://canes.mit.edu/reports) - [events](https://canes.mit.edu/events) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # The Role of Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia by [MIT CANES](https://canes.mit.edu/media/author/mit-canes) | Sep 20, 2024 [Request Copy](https://canes.mit.edu/report-request) Report Date: June 1999 Appendices: No Abstract Southeast Asia needs strong financial and infrastructure bases for continuous development in the next century. Although the turmoil of the 1997 Asian financial crisis slowed down economic growth, the region is recovering gradually, and will need increasing energy supplies in the future. In the electricity sector, which has had to expand more slowly than it did in the 1980s, the main focus has been changing from how to satisfy the growing demand for high reliability to how to cut the cost of electricity. Under these circumstances, we examine the effective role of nuclear power, which can contribute to the stable supply of electricity and still meet the requirement of low emissions. A method of multi-attribute analysis is proposed to assess the feasibility of introducing nuclear power in combination with other generating facilities, such as natural gas, coal, oil, and hydro. Capacity expansion plans from the year 2000 to 2020 in Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, which are composed by a technique of dynamic expansion planning, are evaluated on the basis of total costs, emissions, wastes, and energy security. In addition, the impact of electricity trade in Southeast Asia on the role of nuclear power is examined. This work concludes that nuclear power is compatible with the energy, economic and environmental conditions that may prevail in the region. The factors that promote nuclear power are: its low variable costs, the need for financial stability against unexpected economic disruptions of gas prices, low interest rates to finance its capital needs, and the limitation on CO2 emissions due to international concerns about global climate change. Program:     NFC Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program Type:     TR  RPT. No.: 17 [BACK TO THE CENTER->](https://canes.mit.edu/center) Topics:   [NFC Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program](https://canes.mit.edu/media/tag/nfc-nuclear-fuel-cycle-program) Recent posts [Nuclear Energy Dominance: Can the US do it Alone?](https://canes.mit.edu/media/energy-dominance-can-the-us-do-it-alone) [Assessment of the Lifecycle Cost of Nuclear Grade Coolants for Advanced Reactors](https://canes.mit.edu/media/assessment-of-the-lifecycle-cost-of-nuclear-grade-coolants) [Bilge Yildiz and Jacopo Buongiorno Take Nuclear-Fueled AI to TEDx](https://canes.mit.edu/media/bilge-yildiz-and-jacopo-buongiorno-take-nuclear-fueled-ai-to-tedx) [Levelized Cost of Fuel (LCOF) Studies for Microreactors Using TRISO Fuel in Hydride and Beryllium-based composite Moderators in Open and Closed Fuel Cycles](https://canes.mit.edu/media/a-preliminary-study-on-the-feasibility-of-nuclear-batteries-for-offshore-power-generation-0) [A Preliminary Study on the Feasibility of Nuclear Batteries for Offshore Power Generation](https://canes.mit.edu/media/a-preliminary-study-on-the-feasibility-of-nuclear-batteries-for-offshore-power-generation) [![CAnes logo\[96\]](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png?width=3300&height=1000&name=CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png "CAnes logo[96]")](https://canes.mit.edu/) 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 24-215 Cambridge, MA 02139 [canes@mit.edu](mailto:canes@mit.edu) - [ACCESSIBILITY](https://accessibility.mit.edu/) - [MEDIA](https://canes.mit.edu/center-media) - [CENTER](https://canes.mit.edu/center) - [EVENTS](https://canes.mit.edu/events) - [MAP](http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=24) - [MIT CCSE](https://cse.mit.edu/) - [MIT ENERGY INITIATIVE](https://energy.mit.edu/) - [MIT MECHE](http://meche.mit.edu/) - [MIT NRL](http://nrl.mit.edu/) - [MIT NSE](http://web.mit.edu/nse/) - [MIT PSFC](https://www.psfc.mit.edu/) © 2024 Massachusetts Institute of Technology   |  Privacy Policy