At SIEW 2025, Nuclear Emerges as a Key Pillar of Southeast Asia’s Energy Transition

Singapore International Energy Week 2025 (SIEW), held from 27–31 October, underscored a clear message — nuclear energy is now central to Southeast Asia’s energy conversation. 

Representing World Nuclear Association, Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Director General, and Dr Jonathan Cobb, Senior Programme Lead, Climate, participated in the week’s events. 

Dr Bilbao y León spoke at the SIEW Summit and both Dr Bilbao y León and Dr Cobb spoke at the Thinktank Roundtable on “The Evolving Role of Nuclear in the Future Energy System”, where discussions focused on how nuclear energy can help meet the region’s fast-growing energy needs. 

Singapore’s Pathway: Serious About Studying Nuclear 

At the SIEW opening, Dr Tan See Leng, Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology, affirmed Singapore’s commitment to “seriously studying the potential deployment of nuclear energy, especially newer technologies such as small modular reactors.” 

 
The government’s “Building Singapore’s Capabilities to Assess Nuclear Energy” paper, jointly published by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Energy Market Authority, and National Environment Agency, identifies nuclear as a potentially favourable addition to Singapore’s future energy mix. 

Given Singapore’s limited renewable resources such as wind and hydropower, and its heavy reliance on imported gas, nuclear offers a credible pathway to energy security, affordability, and decarbonisation. 

The paper also emphasises stringent safety and regulatory standards, ensuring any potential deployment meets the highest international benchmarks. 

In the SIEW Summit session Scaling up Future-Ready Low-Carbon Energy Solutions Dr Bilbao y León noted that many ASEAN countries are looking to nuclear energy as a part of a system that provides 24/7 electricity in an affordable and as clean as possible manner. 

The Thinktank Roundtable on “The Evolving Role of Nuclear in the Future Energy System” was the first SIEW event co-hosted by World Nuclear Association. As part of the opening speeches Dr Bilbao y León noted that more and more nations will recognise that nuclear energy is not just an option—it is an essential partner in building a clean, secure, and prosperous future for all. 

Speaking during one of the Thinktank’s panel sessions Dr Cobb emphasized the need for collaboration and partnerships between different companies in the nuclear industry, and with governments, regulators, heavy industry and the AI technology industry to accelerate the growth of nuclear energy. 

Building the Foundations for ASEAN’s Nuclear Future 

In an interview with Channel News Asia (CNA), Dr Bilbao y León discussed whether nuclear energy can fuel ASEAN’s energy independence. 
 
She highlighted the importance of developing legal, regulatory, and workforce infrastructure, alongside financing and supply chains, to enable new nuclear programmes across the region. 

Nuclear Powering the AI Revolution 

In a Bloomberg interview during SIEW, Dr Bilbao y León discussed how nuclear energy can power AI data centres, noting growing collaboration between technology and nuclear industries across Asia and beyond. 

Live from SIEW: The Evolving Role of Nuclear in Southeast Asia’s Energy Mix 

During SIEW, Dr Sama Bilbao y León was asked how World Nuclear Association saw the future energy landscape and how nuclear energy industry was building the needed systems today. 

Looking Ahead 

World Nuclear Association thanks Singapore International Energy Week for its collaboration and for co-hosting the Strategic Roundtable on Nuclear’s Role in the Future Energy System. 

As Southeast Asia’s economies continue to expand, nuclear energy offers a pathway to clean, secure, and sustainable growth—a future powered by innovation and international cooperation. 

Recognizing the focus on nuclear energy in this region, World Nuclear Association’s Director General Dr Bilbao y León and Singapore’s Energy Market Authority Chief Executive Puah Kok Keong signed an agreement at SIEW setting out plans to build on their existing collaboration with a series of joint activities over the next three years.