Southeast Asia's only nuclear power plant is located in the province of Bataan in the Philippines, around 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the capital, Manila.

Built in the 1970s, the Bataan facility was mothballed before it ever opened amid the political instability of the end of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship — and in the wake of the 1986 disaster at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which killed at least 30 people and spewed radioactive fallout over much of the Northern Hemisphere.

But now, under the government of the late dictator's son, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the Philippines is turning to nuclear power as one solution to satisfying the country's rapidly growing energy demand, and as a way of reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and thereby curbing harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In February, Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said his country was "paving the way for a safe, sustainable, and responsible nuclear energy program that will secure our nation's energy future."

The Philippines and Indonesia are leading the surge in coal dependency in Southeast Asia, according to London-based energy think tank Ember, which pointed out that the Philippines was Southeast Asia's most coal-dependent country in 2023.

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Given the global push to cut GHG emissions, the appeal of nuclear power is clear.

© Deutsche Welle