Members of government body have met with ‘multiple interested companies’
Indonesia’s National Energy Council has proposed 29 sites across the Asian archipelago for the potential construction of nuclear power plants.
Agus Puji Prasetyono, one of the government body’s members, told Australian network ABC Indonesia nuclear power was “unavoidable” because the government needed to secure reliable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions.
The proposed sites, spanning North Sumatra off the western coast of Malaysia to West Papua in the east of the country, are part of the country's strategy to reduce carbon emissions and secure stable energy sources.
Prasetyono said nuclear energy was inevitable, citing examples from countries such as Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
While the price of Indonesia’s nuclear proposal is yet to be worked out, it would need backing from foreign investors because the government cannot afford to build nuclear plants, Prasetyono said.
Nuclear Is ‘A Compelling Option’
The eight-member energy council – part of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and employed by the Indonesian government to formulate the country’s energy plan – have met with multiple interested companies including from China and Russia, Prasetyono added.
In September, Damos Dumoli Agusman, Indonesia’s ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and international organisations in Vienna including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told the IAEA that Indonesia said was in the process of establishing a government committee that will create a strategy to build nuclear power stations.
Agusman also said Indonesia is developing a comprehensive nuclear power plants roadmap which will address safety, security, and technology aspects of a nuclear power programme.
“Our growing energy demands and commitment to reducing carbon emissions make nuclear energy a compelling option,” Agusman said.
“We plan to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and integrate nuclear energy into our energy mix, to generate reliable power and cut greenhouse gas emissions for a more sustainable future.”
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that around one‐quarter of Indonesia’s emissions reductions need to be achieved through technologies that are currently not commercially available in Indonesia – including nuclear.
It said nuclear could contribute 5% to Indonesia’s emissions reductions in 2050.
Background: US And Russia Both Aiming To Help
Indonesia has already signed a number of agreements related to the potential construction of nuclear plants, including floating plants, which are considered particularly suitable for an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands.
In March 2023 the US awarded a grant to Indonesia for technical assistance towards the deployment of the nation’s first SMR with a potential site already chosen in West Kalimantan, a province on the island of Borneo.
Four Danish companies signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian state-owned corporations to potentially build a small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear facility on the island of Borneo that can produce one million tonnes of ultra-low emissions ammonia per year.
Russia has said it wants to work with Indonesia on the Southeast Asian nation’s first commercial nuclear power plants with an offer of cooperation that ranges from financing to workforce development and the deployment of floating reactors.
Separately, the Jakarta Globe reported that state-owned electricity company PLN expects nuclear power-generated electricity to enter the grid before 2040.
The newspaper said the government categorises nuclear energy as a form of “new energy”, along with other sources like hydrogen and ammonia, and is banking on them alongside renewables to deliver on its net-zero emissions pledge.
