TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto met with representatives of the United States Department of Foreign Affairs to explore collaboration in agriculture, renewable energy, and nuclear reactor technology for power generation.

During the meeting, Airlangga expressed Indonesia's interest in cooperation on agricultural biotechnology for crops like rice, corn, and sugarcane. One of them is through the existing research partnerships between the Indonesian Agriculture Institute (IPB) and U.S. institutions.

“The government has collaborated with a number of universities to develop laboratories and use bio-ethanol as an environmentally friendly fuel,” he said in an official statement quoted on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

Airlangga also emphasized the government's ongoing development of food estates to ensure food security. Regarding power generation using non-fossil fuels, he discussed the potential of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.

He explained that Indonesia's archipelagic geography requires an electrical energy capacity that can adapt to diverse geographical conditions. “Nuclear reactors produced through SMRs could be well-suited for this need.”

Jose Fernandez, the US Under Secretary for Economic Growth, affirmed the willingness to support the use of SMRs in Indonesia. He encouraged private sector involvement in developing and studying the feasibility of building these reactors.

Fernandez also mentioned the interest from various US companies managing nuclear reactors for electric power, highlighting the potential for collaboration. Indonesia's existing nuclear research laboratories further enhance the feasibility of this project.

Previously, the Indonesian government had formed a Semiconductor Ecosystem Development Task Force to conduct a study with the OECD and the US Department of State. Additionally, Indonesia secured a grant agreement worth US$2.3 million or Rp34 billion for nuclear reactor development at Gasong Beach, West Kalimantan Province.

Collaboration has also been carried out between the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and Indonesian electricity giant PLN Indonesia Power for the development study.

ILONA ESTHERINA

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