Plans for nuclear power in Indonesia and the Philippines make good sense, but to improve public acceptance governments, regulators and operators must define basic nuclear energy policy and comprehensive rules for safety, emergency preparedness and long-term radioactive waste management.

Jun Arima, a senior policy fellow on energy and environment at the Economic Research Institute for Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia, said in an article in the Nikkei Asian Review, that public acceptance is the biggest challenge for nuclear energy in the Asean bloc.

Trust between the operator and the local communities hosting the nuclear power plants is crucial. Concerns about nuclear safety and treatment of radioactive waste tend to lower public acceptance. This would make the approval process uncertain, leading to costlier and riskier investment.