A stock image shows the central control room of an unidentified nuclear power plant. (Photo: Shutterstock/ muph) Rohadi Awaludin, head of nuclear research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said the National Energy Council (DEN) is preparing to establish the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementation Organization (NEPIO) to improve the investment climate for developing nuclear power plants in Indonesia.
Indonesia had uranium and thorium reserves of around 90,000 tonnes and 140,000 tonnes, respectively, Rohadi said, which was sufficient to power 10 nuclear power plants with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) each for 30 years.
But he admitted that processing the raw materials to power the plants would be difficult.
Rohadi expressed his hope that the endorsement of the newly signed Government Regulation (PP) No. 52/2022 on safe and secure mining of nuclear materials will encourage relevant parties to jump-start this process in Indonesia.
Haendra Subekti, director of nuclear installation and materials policy at the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten), said that countries with advanced nuclear programmes such as the US, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Denmark, have all shown interest in developing nuclear power projects in Indonesia.
He said that over the last two years, “a few foreign companies” have shown interest in developing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, renewables director general Dadan Kusdiana of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said building nuclear power plants would help Indonesia reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, adding that the plants would be more profitable due to global technological advancements./.
VNA
