Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew once hailed air- conditioning’s role as the breakthrough technology that helped transform Southeast Asia’s post-colonial commodity-dominated economies into some of the world’s fastest-growing financial and industrial markets.Nuclear power can play a significant role in providing electricity for running those air-conditioners, making the adoption of safe new-generation nuclear power plants an area that should be prioritized under US-Asean cooperation. It is an effort that supports our mutual economic and national security interests.
There is no operational nuclear power plant in the Asean region today. However, all of the 10 member nations — except Brunei and Laos — have active plans for adding nuclear power into the electricity-generating mix. In terms of scale, Vietnam has the most aggressive nuclear power ambitions. Full Story
