The Iran war is accelerating plans for Southeast Asia to go nuclear. Experts say it won’t be easy

The last time an energy crisis pushed Southeast Asia to consider nuclear energy, it led to a $2.2 billion plant in the Philippines that never got switched on.

Half a century later, a new crisis is pressing the region to start thinking about nuclear again. Global oil and gas prices have surged since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy chokepoint. Southeast Asia, comprised mainly of net energy importers, has been hit especially hard by rising energy prices, accelerating plans to drive down energy usage.