00:00We were talking a little bit about the difference on how much nuclear energy proliferation has accelerated or that push
00:06across Asia.
00:07How does this differ from the Western countries?
00:10Well, thank you for inviting me, Sherry.
00:13The Asian countries need energy and electricity to make the economic growth, and Asia is a growth center.
00:20So certainly, Asia needs a very sustainable model of electricity, and for the sake, nuclear will be a very important
00:30part of their portfolio.
00:33Electrification is a key element of reducing dependency of oil and gas from the Middle East.
00:39So they are urged to do this electrification, and nuclear, small modular reactors particularly, will play a very important role.
00:47But they have to learn from Japan's mistake in Fukushima, for example.
00:51I want to get there, but first of all, let me ask about what's happening globally as well when it
00:57comes to this awareness of the need of nuclear power in the energy mix,
01:02given, of course, all of the geopolitical upheavals that we've seen in the past few years.
01:06Yeah, because thanks to the current climate change mitigation, current economic issue, energy security issue,
01:15nuclear focus is very much in the center of the discussion of the energy policy.
01:21Germany may change their policy against nuclear tomorrow in favor.
01:25The prime minister announced that.
01:27And Asia, it needs the kind of policy of very safe nuclear as well as affordable nuclear.
01:35For that, I am strongly urging Asian countries, particularly ASEAN, should take a coordinated position of the nuclear model.
01:43If they have the similar model and standardized model of the nuclear, the cost will be smaller.
01:50Because you can make a coalition of purchase and procurement will push the provider to reduce the price.
01:59And at the same time, regulatory framework could be similar, right?
02:04If all the countries of ASEAN have the same reactor, the regulatory framework should be same.
02:10So then you can keep the safer model of the nuclear power.
02:14So I urge ASEAN countries that are now connecting each other by Asian super grid.
02:20And by that, you have to make a kind of sense of where to locate a nuclear power in the
02:26best mix of the energy sources.
02:29And I think this is a great opportunity that ASEAN can make a difference.
02:33You mentioned small modular reactors, SMRs.
02:36How big of a game changer are they?
02:38Ah, this is going to be interesting because small modular reactors can be a dedicated power for the data center
02:45or AI generation.
02:47So it's not connected to the grid, but used particularly to the industry for the heat or particularly for the
02:55data centers.
02:55So I think, and also the small modular reactors' best point is that it's the safety and the reduce the
03:04risk of accident.
03:05And emergency planning zone of SMR can be contained within the plant.
03:11That means you don't have the evacuation plan for the surrounding population.
03:16This will give a much better public acceptance of the reactor.
03:21And the design of the small modular reactor can fit to the local needs, right?
03:27Data center needs or more backup to the renewables or security issues.
03:33So I think public, local people can accept small modular reactor much better than the large reactor,
03:40which serve to the urban areas, but not themselves.
03:44Right.
03:44They're only sharing the risk.
03:46That is the reason why the negative reaction happens from the host community.
03:52I mean, you mentioned what happened in Fukushima.
03:54We have Three Mile Islands as well.
03:56We have Chernobyl as well.
03:57And we have nuclear generation electricity actually halving since the 1990s or so.
04:03Are we seeing that change in mentality now, given the need?
04:07Yeah.
04:07I think because of the accident, certainly the caution about the safety increases.
04:13But at the same time, if the data center needs such amount of huge electricity and sustain,
04:20in a way, the decarbonized power, nuclear is the only answer.
04:25So public acceptance to the nuclear, especially the Middle East situation, Ukraine situation,
04:30it increases dramatically.
04:32So this is a great opportunity.
04:34If the governments put the right incentives or right regulatory framework or collaboration among the countries,
04:43then I think nuclear may have a very good future.
04:45Are you seeing any moves towards that?
04:47I think so.
04:48Because the governments are talking about the nuclear collaboration.
04:52For example, Korea wants to do more collaboration with Japan
04:55for developing the sustainable nuclear model for the future
04:59and selling together to the global community.
05:03I think U.S. has a very interesting model of sustainable nuclear,
05:06which I promote integral fast reactant.
05:09It can take care of the waste, radioactive waste.
05:12And safety requirement is very good.
05:15And also proliferation resistant.
05:18Because of the nuclear war threat is everywhere,
05:22we have to have a technology which is resistant for the proliferation risk.
05:27When it comes to building that sort of nuclear ecosystem,
05:30who do you think across Asia is doing it well?
05:32Asia is the best place to test that kind of model
05:36because Asia is a very growth center of economy
05:40and they have experienced the very risk of the energy security
05:46from the Middle East oil, gas, et cetera.
05:49And also it can be a very good peaceful arrangement of the ASEAN
05:55can show that the nuclear can play a very important role
06:00of their alliance and coalition
06:02and the peaceful use of the energy for the future.
06:05So I really want that ASEAN will carefully take a close look
06:11what kind of models of SMRs are available.
06:14It is growing in many countries.
06:16Not yet established, but there are many different types.
06:19So I think ASEAN should take a good study of the models
06:24as well as I think ASEAN countries should learn
06:27from our mistakes in Fukushima.
06:30It is a human error.
06:31Human error, you can learn from our mistakes.
06:34And then avoid the risks of accidents.
06:38That kind of, you know, well-prepared policy of ASEAN
06:42can make ASEAN Asia as a center of the future sustainable nuclear.
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