Regulatory Convergence Key to ASEAN SMR Deployment

Electricity demand in Southeast Asia is projected to increase significantly in the coming decades. Governments across ASEAN are committed to decarbonization pathways, despite current reliance on imported fossil fuels. Nuclear energy, particularly Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the 50–300 MWe range, could provide low-carbon generation to complement renewables.

Currently, no ASEAN member state operates a commercial nuclear plant. However, several countries are exploring nuclear options. Indonesia aims for multi-gigawatt capacity by 2040, Malaysia is considering nuclear power beyond 2035, and the Philippines targets 4.8 GWe by 2050, including assessing SMRs. Singapore has commissioned Mott MacDonald to study advanced nuclear energy technologies. Thailand is reintroducing SMRs into power planning, targeting 600 MWe, and Vietnam plans for two large nuclear power plants and an additional 8 GWe capacity by 2050.

Challenges and Proposed Solutions

Common constraints to nuclear deployment in ASEAN include fragmented regulation, uneven institutional capacity, financing uncertainty, limited specialist skills, and public acceptance challenges. Most countries may require close to a decade to establish the necessary regulatory frameworks and institutional confidence for initial operation. Regional cooperation is seen as crucial for accelerating this progress.

The current regulatory landscape, with each country maintaining its own codes, standards, and licensing processes, leads to multiple national reviews of the same SMR designs. This results in resource-intensive submission processes for vendors, extended timelines, increased costs, and reduced investor confidence. Without ASEAN-wide regulatory convergence, the benefits of SMR modularity and standardization may be undermined.

A proposed solution involves maximizing commonality through harmonized terminology, aligned evidence structures, and shared core safety expectations. Technology-centric licensing would involve a joint generic design evaluation by ASEAN regulators, with site-specific considerations remaining under national jurisdiction. Supplier and technology neutrality, assessed against transparent, evidence-based criteria, would broaden participation and support a resilient regional supply chain. Fuel strategies should also remain technology neutral, with coherent regional approaches for supply, transport, and safeguards.

Phased Roadmap for Convergence

A practical, phased approach to achieve regulatory convergence in ASEAN could include:

Regulatory convergence would streamline engineering deliverables, reduce rework, and enable the pooling of specialist expertise. This would improve the speed and robustness of regulatory decisions while preserving national sovereignty. For investors, clearer and predictable timelines would enhance bankability. For manufacturers and suppliers, common specifications and recognized quality systems would facilitate Southeast Asian participation in the global SMR supply chain.

• Establishing governance and a shared regulatory language, potentially through an SMR convergence forum under the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM).
• Conducting joint technology evaluations against regional needs, potentially categorizing SMR technologies by intended purpose.
• Aligning codes, standards, and supplier quality requirements, including an ASEAN vendor qualification framework with mutual recognition of supplier audits.
• Addressing fuel assurance and lifecycle considerations, covering regional strategies for procurement, transport security, waste management, and decommissioning.
• Clarifying finance and market frameworks by standardizing revenue models and risk allocation mechanisms.
• Transposing common outputs into national frameworks and incorporating project data from early projects to reduce future costs and schedule risks.