LONDON, England – A major inflection point for nuclear power development in the Philippines and Southeast Asia will be spotlighted when global industry leaders gather for the World Nuclear Supply Chain Conference in Manila on May 20–21 this year.

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), revealed that the Philippines was strategically selected to host this year’s global nuclear event. The choice casts a spotlight on the country’s rapidly rising nuclear ambitions while dissecting development prospects across Southeast Asia.

The conference comes with the full backing of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), regional energy ministers, and, most prominently, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin of the Philippine Department of Energy.

“There is no country in the region that is further ahead than the Philippines—because obviously, it already made legal decisions and set targets earlier than many others,” Bilbao y León stressed. “It’s very good that in the Philippines, ever since the decisions were made, there’s been a clear path forward.”

Beyond the Philippines, the Manila event will showcase the specific nuclear goals of other ASEAN energy markets—including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand—putting the region’s energy future under a global microscope.

While ASEAN’s nuclear roadmaps have seen twists and turns over the decades due to shifting policies, Bilbao y León emphasized that the Philippines has stayed the course. Its advanced trajectory has drawn significant international attention, with key players now poised to help concretize that vision.

Bilbao y León noted that Vietnam is the other Southeast Asian country most closely trailing the Philippines, having taken decisive steps toward strategic partnerships with project developers. Other ASEAN nations remain in the early stages: Singapore is rigorously studying how to integrate nuclear into its energy mix, while Malaysia has included nuclear in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) but has yet to set concrete execution timelines.

“We’ve been working with these countries for some time, and this event in Manila offers a chance to witness firsthand who’s ready to jump in and what it takes to do so. We will bring the discussion straight to government levels,” the WNA Director General said.

According to Bilbao y León, the conference will unite the nuclear world’s major players—from developers and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms to financiers and the emerging community of "non-traditional" users, such as those in oil and gas, mining, AI, hyperscalers, and manufacturing.

“We’re bringing in participants from all over the world, including leaders from the finance community. Financing isn’t just about new nuclear plants; it’s about backing the entire supply chain,” she stated. “As companies gear up to seize these opportunities, they need investment. We will explore how to incentivize that, and that’s exactly the stakeholder group we’re eager to have at the table.”

Bilbao y León assured that the finance community stands ready to back projects, provided the market presents a clear roadmap alongside solidified legal frameworks.

To date, at least 16 major banks have expressed support for nuclear expansion, including Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Partnerships with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have further reinforced global backing, while heavyweights like JPMorgan, HSBC, and Deutsche Bank have been active in WNA finance forums, signaling a growing appetite to fund nuclear growth.

“The Philippines is the new frontier for nuclear energy in ASEAN,” Bilbao y León asserted, noting that project developers and EPC companies will be leading discussions and engaging in business-to-business (B2B) conversations.

Recent industry trends aim to triple global capacity to 1,400 gigawatts (GW) by 2050—up from roughly 400 GW today. Bilbao y León indicated this is not merely an ambitious target, but a necessary step to maintain nuclear’s 10% share of global electricity.

Within Asia, powerhouses are rising: China is set to commission over 30 reactors in 2025–2026 alone, while India aims to leap from 8 GW today to an aggressive 100 GW by 2047.

The WNA executive qualified that scaling capacity will hinge critically on strengthening the supply chain to keep projects on time and on budget. Currently, nuclear depends on a small cadre of specialized suppliers for fuel, forgings, and control systems. If one supplier exits or fails on quality, projects can stall.

“We’ve been asked by our members to help the industry incentivize investments in the supply chain,” she explained. “There are many companies that manufacture pipes, cables, or valves but haven’t played in the nuclear world yet. We’re creating the pathways for them to join this critical ecosystem.”

The conference will also serve as a venue to align utilities, EPC contractors, and suppliers on exacting regulatory standards to avoid costly rework. With lead times for critical components stretching 5–10 years, the event provides a platform to synchronize demand signals early.

While nuclear is often seen as prohibitively expensive, Bilbao y León noted that recent successes in China and South Korea show that replicating and scaling standardized reactor designs can deliver projects on budget. These supply chain forums aim to drive discussions on standardization and repeat builds to boost competitiveness.

The Philippines targets integrating nuclear capacity into its power mix by 2032, starting with a 1,200 MW installation and scaling to 4,800 MW by 2050. The DOE is moving this year to pursue licensing for interested developers.

A major breakthrough occurred last September with the passage of the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act. This paves the way for the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), an independent regulator charged with enforcing safety standards.

Going forward, the true test of the law will be its ability to attract investment. Another key challenge remains: whether the mothballed 620 MW Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) can be revived—potentially through a delayed study by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power—or if the facility should be opened to other contenders, such as GNPower Ltd., which is reportedly eager to restore the idled asset with a foreign partner.

Holistically, the Philippines’ nuclear prospects are gaining momentum. These developments raise expectations that the country could soon lead the Southeast Asian nuclear renaissance.