Importance of Technical Support Organizations for ASEAN's Nuclear Power Programs
Southeast Asia is currently at a critical crossroads in its energy transformation phase. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that energy demand in the region will increase by 60% by 2040, driven by rapid economic and population growth. However, the high carbon emissions from reliance on fossil fuels as baseload energy have urged countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to seek clean and reliable energy solutions to support industrialization, economic sustainability, and environmental targets. Countries in the region are now committed to meeting the energy demand while decarbonizing through Net Zero Emissions (NZE) targets, to be achieved as early as 2050.
In response to the urgency of the clean energy transition, nuclear energy has regained serious attention for its high energy density, clean nature, and reliability. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are actively exploring and planning nuclear power programs. However, public discussions often focus solely on costs, reactor technology, and political maneuvering. The implementation of nuclear power plant (NPP) programs by adopting advanced reactor technologies, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), serves as tangible evidence that this transformation is underway. Yet, given the region’s unique geography along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one crucial question often goes unasked: “Who will ensure that the reactors are truly safe to operate, whether on the typhoon-prone coasts of the Philippines or the seismically active soils of Indonesia?”
This issue often becomes a key factor affecting public confidence in strategic nuclear projects. The answer lies in an entity that is often invisible yet vital: the Technical Support Organization (TSO), an independent body that serves as the technical brain and safety guardian for national nuclear regulators. So, how exactly do TSOs play a critical role in accelerating nuclear energy implementation in the ASEAN region?
Powering ASEAN’s Growth: The Nuclear Comeback Solidifying Energy Security
The resurgence of interest in nuclear power in ASEAN is not without reason. The region faces a complex energy trilemma: the need to ensure supply security, price affordability, and environmental sustainability. The growth of the middle class and industrialization have driven electricity consumption to unprecedented levels, causing energy demand to soar. Furthermore, as one of the most climate-vulnerable regions, ASEAN faces enormous pressure to cut its carbon footprint. Many countries have set NZE targets. The limited diversity of energy sources also makes the reliance on coal and natural gas vulnerable to global price volatility and pollution issues. Meanwhile, renewables like solar and wind are intermittent, creating challenges for providing stable 24/7 baseload power, therefore pushing the need for a more reliable clean alternative.
Nuclear power offers a potential solution to all three challenges, delivering large-scale carbon-free electricity with extremely high reliability. The emergence of SMRs, with their flexible and compact modular designs and high energy density, is expected to be an attractive and more economical solution for ASEAN countries. Their relatively small size and flexibility for deployment on shipyards allow for innovations like floating nuclear power plant (FNPP), which could distribute electricity across archipelagic areas, enhance power grid reach, and reduce frequent blackouts. Projections show the region could reach 8.5 GW of nuclear capacity by 2037, with total investments estimated at USD 84.15 billion and potential annual market revenues of USD 9.2 billion, making this a strategic regional project and investment to secure clean energy supply while sustainably increasing GDP.
The Hidden Catalyst: TSOs as ASEAN’s Strategic Underlying Engine for Nuclear Growth
The integrated development of nuclear energy projects requires detailed analysis from multiple perspectives. A TSO is an organization or organizational unit, either internal or external to the regulatory body, that provides technical and scientific support in nuclear safety to ensure that safety-related decisions, licensing, and oversight of NPPs are based on solid and objective technical analysis. TSOs stand on four fundamental pillars:
Independent Verification & Safety Assessment: TSOs do not just read Safety Analysis Reports (SARs) submitted by vendors, they actively test, validate, and simulate worst-case scenarios using advanced software, ensuring reactor designs can withstand unique local risks such as earthquakes in the Pacific Ring of Fire or potential tsunamis.
Regulatory Development & Guidance: TSOs translate complex science into practical technical regulations. Without TSOs, regulators might merely adopt foreign standards without deep understanding of the scientific foundations behind them.
Human Resource Incubators: TSOs are breeding grounds for the next generation of nuclear experts, engineers, and scientists. They become national centers of excellence ensuring long-term oversight, long after foreign experts have left.
Emergency Preparedness & Response: In times of crises, governments and regulators need rapid and accurate technical advice. TSOs are the “first call” that can provide analysis on radiological dispersion or reactor integrity, which is crucial to protect the public.
Without strong TSOs, newcomer countries in ASEAN will face significant challenges, such as regulators’ limited competence due to a lack of experienced staff to oversee complex NPP projects. Moreover, the absence of independent verification increases the risk of vendor dependency, as regulators may rely solely on vendor-provided safety data without objective validation. TSOs also accelerate regulatory development by assisting in drafting safety standards, guides, and regulations aligned with global practices. Furthermore, having strong national TSOs ensures long-term sustainability of NPP programs through knowledge transfer, local human resource development, and building capability to manage NPPs independently in the future, from operations and maintenance to decommissioning and waste management.
Designing and Accelerating Success: A TSO’s Blueprint to Fast-Track Nuclear Deployment
Although full nuclear infrastructure is not yet established in the region, several institutions can be identified as potential TSOs. Mapping existing strengths will be a key step in building a blueprint to strengthen TSOs across the region.
National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, BRIN) in Indonesia, particularly the Nuclear Energy Research Organization (Organisasi Riset Tenaga Nuklir, ORTN), focuses on nuclear R&D, reactor safety, and radioactive waste management. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Badan Pengawas Tenaga Nuklir, BAPETEN) as the regulatory body has internal units that perform TSO functions to support technical evaluations, licensing, and inspections. Academic institutions also supply expertise and human resources through nuclear safety research and higher education. However, Indonesia needs to formalize the TSO’s legal status to be truly independent from both regulators and promoters. Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia) serves as Malaysia’s main nuclear R&D institution and is identified as a potential TSO. With decades of experience in reactor engineering and nuclear applications, it could evolve into a national TSO to support Malaysia’s plan to build its first NPP by 2031 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (Rancangan Malaysia Ketiga Belas, RMK13) 2026–2030.
The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) has acted as the Philippines’ main nuclear research center, providing scientific and technical services in radiation safety, environmental monitoring, and radioactive waste management. To support new NPP projects, the Philippines must expand PNRI’s capacity to conduct comprehensive reactor safety analyses. In Thailand, Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) functions as the regulatory body while also performing certain TSO roles. OAP controls and supervises nuclear technology applications and conducts policy-supporting safety research. Thailand has an opportunity to build a more formal TSO function independent of its current regulatory structure. Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS) in Vietnam is also an independent regulatory body handling technical safety and regulatory aspects. While possessing technical capability, Vietnam needs to strengthen VARANS’ role and establish a more dedicated TSO institution to support its revived NPP program.
Global Playbook: What Leading Nations Teach About Building TSOs
Several countries have demonstrated TSO models that can serve as valuable references for ASEAN in developing its own framework.
France
The Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) is a centralized TSO that operates fully independently from the regulator Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN). With more than 1,700 technical experts, IRSN actively conducts independent experiments to validate reactor safety. It serves as a “technical challenger” to major operators such as Électricité de France (EDF), for instance during the mandatory ten-year periodic safety reviews that often result in multi-billion-euro safety upgrades. This French model highlights the importance of having a strong, centralized, and authoritative TSO capable of counterbalancing industry power and ensuring rigorous safety oversight.
Türkiye
Nükleer Teknik Destek A.Ş. (NÜTED) was established as the national TSO for the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority under Decree Law No. 702, enacted on 9 July 2018. NÜTED provides technical and scientific support to the regulator and is responsible for carrying out inspections of nuclear power plants, from site investigations to decommissioning, as well as other nuclear facilities across the country, including hospitals, universities, and radiology installations. It is involved in the licensing process for nuclear facilities, acts as an expert body for safety assessments and analyses, as well as participates actively in international meetings and working groups.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is currently emerging as a newcomer in the nuclear field, building its first two nuclear power plants at Rooppur. The country has adopted a hybrid model in developing TSO functions but still faces significant challenges. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), as the national regulator, continues to rely on international TSOs such as FSUE VO Safety from Rostechnadzor (Russia’s regulator) and institutions from India for developing regulations, reviewing safety documentation, and conducting inspections. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) also functions as a TSO for the operator. However, this situation clearly indicates that Bangladesh does not yet have a truly independent national TSO, highlighting the urgent need to establish a separate national TSO to support both the regulator and the operator in strengthening the country’s nuclear safety infrastructure.
Breaking the Deadlock: Turning TSO Funding into High-Value Investment
Building an effective TSO is a complex and challenging process. However, each obstacle can be overcome through a paradigm shift and forward-looking strategies. Several strategic challenges must be addressed carefully:
Funding Dilemma: Governments are often reluctant to invest heavily in TSOs before NPP projects are confirmed, creating a deadlock, without independent TSO analyses, final decisions cannot be made. TSOs must be viewed not as operational costs but as pre-project strategic investments. Their expertise is crucial early on to objectively evaluate technologies and vendors, mitigating much larger national investment risks.
Scarcity of Expert Human Resources: Especially at the local level, an integrated human capacity development strategy is required, including a collaborative ecosystem between TSOs, universities, and industry. Governments must also send top talents abroad on bonded schemes and enforce strict knowledge transfer clauses in contracts with international vendors.
Ensuring True Independence: Independence from political and commercial influence is greatly advised to prevent greater risks. This requires strong legal frameworks creating clear structural and financial separation between TSOs and nuclear energy promoters, so all decisions are purely based on scientific data and top safety principles.
Building Regional ASEAN TSO Collaboration: Strengthening technical capacity through a coordinated regional approach. This could begin with forming a Technical Working Group focusing on TSO capacity-building under existing ASEAN nuclear cooperation frameworks like the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM) or through the ASEAN Nuclear Energy Cooperation – Sub-sector Network (NEC-SSN).
Igniting the Future: Empowering TSOs to Unlock ASEAN’s Nuclear Potential
While reactors and policy debates dominate the spotlight, the hard work of TSO experts will ultimately determine the success or failure of Southeast Asia's nuclear ambitions. For ASEAN, the path from plans to operational NPPs is not paved solely through uranium fuel rods or turbine halls. It should be forged through the analytical and irreplaceable work of the TSOs. Investing in them is the single most critical investment for a safe and prosperous nuclear future in this region. Therefore, developing strong, independent, and collaborative TSOs is a non-negotiable prerequisite for ASEAN nations to transition from nuclear plans to safe, reliable, and sustainable power plants.
Preparing TSOs must be a key agenda item within countries’ nuclear infrastructure programs. This momentum will be further strengthened at the 10th edition of the Asia Nuclear Business Platform (ANBP) 2025, to be held on December 9 - 11, 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia. This event will serve as a vital forum bringing together policymakers, global stakeholders, and industry leaders to shape the next phase of ASEAN’s nuclear trajectory. With the National Energy Council of Indonesia (Dewan Energy Nasional, DEN) as the host, this forum will strengthen ASEAN’s commitment to a safe, sustainable, and regionally integrated energy future, and foster collaboration among countries in the region to mature and steer their nuclear energy initiatives strategically and sustainably.
