Is ASEAN nuclear-ready?

The March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident has led governments and nuclear organisations to rethink and reassess their current and potential nuclear plans. Some nuclear plants have been decommissioned in Europe and stress tests are being conducted on existing plants in the Americas, Europe and Northeast Asia, while Southeast Asia continues to consider nuclear energy as a viable alternative to securing the region's energy. Is ASEAN nuclear-ready and does the region have the mechanisms in place for a potential cooperation on nuclear energy.

Current nuclear plans of the region

Vietnam and Indonesia have been the most aggressive countries in ASEAN regarding the pursuit of their nuclear programme. As of July 2012, Vietnam has proposed the development of six nuclear plants with a total gross capacity of 6,700MWe. Indonesia has proposed four reactors with a gross capacity of 4,000MWe.

Vietnam remains the only ASEAN country with concrete plans for the acquisition of nuclear energy. On 31 October 2010, an agreement was signed between the governments of Vietnam and Russia for the latter's assistance in the construction of Vietnam's first nuclear plant, which will begin in 2014.

Besides Indonesia and Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines are also considering nuclear energy as an option to their energy mix. Singapore is still conducting a pre-feasibility study on this issue. While Nicholas Fang, Director of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, and Aaron Choo, a Researcher at the institute, contend that the development of nuclear power plants in the ASEAN region is a "pressing reality, not a distant dream", sentiments in the region have gradually evolved fromshouldASEAN acquire nuclear energy towhenthe region will adopt nuclear energy in its energy mix.

The following are some factors that will feed into the issue's consideration.

Challenges to nuclear energy cooperation

To demonstrate its commitment to nuclear safety and security, ASEAN has signed a treaty establishing the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (SEANWFZ), also known as the Treaty of Bangkok, in December 1995 which came into force in March 1997. Under the SEANWFZ agreement, signatory countries are banned from storing, producing and testing nuclear weapons even if these tests are conducted on behalf of other states.

In addition, SEANWFZ ensures that signatory countries are also obligated to ensure only the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy and the proper disposal of radioactive waste. ASEAN member states are also signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In addition to adhering to international laws and the establishment of effective policies, global nuclear disasters should also inform ASEAN's formulation of the region's nuclear policies. The Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters would mean that ASEAN states should also engage in other issues such as climate change, economic costs and issues of energy security so as to properly inform policymakers and the public on issues regarding nuclear energy.

There are two main factors that will pose as obstacles to a comprehensive cooperation on the nuclear issue. Firstly, the efficacy of nuclear energy is still widely debated even among nuclear-powered states. There are critics who suggest that governments should focus on tackling the problem of energy consumption instead of finding (potentially dangerous) alternatives to feed industries' and citizens' increasing energy demands.

Having witnessed or experienced the harmful effects of a nuclear accident, critics of nuclear energy ask that governments and corporations dedicate their time to finding ways of providing cheaper renewable energy. On top of the fossil energy reserves that the region has, ASEAN has the potential to fully develop its hydropower and biofuel industries as well.

Secondly, while ASEAN's cooperation regarding the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline and ASEAN Power Grid has been effective thus far, cooperation regarding nuclear energy is not moving forward to this extent because of the lack of nuclear energy expertise and knowledge of nuclear power technology in the region. More importantly, questions of responsibility and state sovereignty will be brought to the fore regarding the siting of nuclear power plants should countries decide to construct their plants in maritime boundaries or close to another country's borders. 

BY: Dr Eulalia Han and Su Liying