SPECIAL REPORT | ASIA Nuclear power and fuel cycle development in Asia


Power Reactors Operable


Australia


Bangladesh China India


Indonesia Japan


Kazakhstan S. Korea N. Korea Malaysia Pakistan Vietnam Total


2


54 23


33 25


19 8


2 3


33 12


1


Power Reactors Under Construction


Power Reactors Planned


Research Reactors Operable


Other Stages of the Fuel Cycle


1UM 1


18 5


UM, C, E, FF UM, FF, R, WM


3FF 3


C, E, FF, R, WM 6 141 34 1 47


4UM 2 1 1 2 1


42 Key: UM Uranium mining, C Conversion, E Enrichment, FF Fuel fabrication, R Reprocessing, WM Waste management facilities for used fuel away from reactors Source: WNA C, FF C?,FF?,R UM, E, FF


V on its nuclear programme and has also signed nuclear cooperation agreements with both India and Pakistan. The Philippines is home to a mothballed nuclear power


station that was never completed, although it is now considering a possible revival of the Bataan plant. This 621 MWe Westinghouse design was constructed in 1984 but soaring energy demand is prompting a reappraisal. The Philippine Energy Plan 2018-2040 included a Nuclear Power Programme Roadmap, targeting the first plant commissioning in 2027. The country is also looking at SMR development and has signed nuclear cooperation agreements with Rosatom to pursue this goal. Thailand has operated a research reactor since 1977 but its more recent 2015 Power Development Plan sets out ambitions to build two 1000 MW units by 2036, a considerable delay on earlier plans for nuclear power development.


Similarly, Indonesia deferred earlier plans for a nuclear power plant but has more recently expressed renewed interest, in particular looking at SMRs and a ThorCon thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR). A timeframe of 2045 is anticipated for any substantial nuclear development but a 10 MWe experimental nuclear power reactor is expected to be built at Serpong. In central Asia, Uzbekistan is also actively planning to develop nuclear power generation. Uzbekistan’s energy strategy will see nuclear power provide around 15% of national electricity demand by 2030 and the country has inked a deal with Russia for the development of a VVER-1200 reactor by 2028. Kazakhstan is already one of the world’s biggest


producers of uranium but currently has no operating nuclear power plants after a single reactor was decommissioned in 1999. Nonetheless, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently advocated a move towards nuclear power generation in Kazakhstan. While China and India are clearly leading nuclear power development in the region, it is clear that many other Asian nations are looking to increase the nuclear contribution to their energy mix. Drivers for this growth include efforts to address climate change or reduce air pollution from coal-fired power stations in China, for instance, while some nations are looking to build energy independence or rapidly expand capacity as part of large-scale infrastructure development in response to economic growth, like India, for instance. Developments in Ukraine have further emphasised the importance of energy security and with many reactors in the region already more than 30 years old, the need for replacement is on the agenda. Rapid economic growth across the region and on-going environmental concerns are set to underpin renewed engagement with nuclear power. Mainland China and India share many common drivers


Above: Nuclear reactor in Lianyungang, China 22 | August 2022 | www.neimagazine.com


for nuclear power development and are expected to be the primary promoters of this industry in Asia Pacific. It is perhaps no surprise that IHS Markit estimates the two populous and rapidly growing markets will likely underpin close to a third of the world’s total power demand additions during 2021-2050. ■


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