Southeast Asia has strong potential to become a major growth region for nuclear power with electricitydemand in the region potentially doubling by 2050 due to urbanisation, industrial expansion and rising living standards, Alexey Likhachev, the director-general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.

During a visit to Indonesia that included a working meeting with the southeast Asian nation’s president Prabowo Subianto, Likhachev said countries that traditionally relied on coal, gas and hydropower are considering nuclear energy to improve energy security and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

He said Indonesia stands out because of its rapidly growing economy and ambitious development targets. Under an electricity supply plan, Indonesia has ambitious plans to develop 7 GW of nuclear capacity by 2040 and 35 GW by 2060.