Indonesia, United States Partner on Nuclear Power Plant Development

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is currently developing a nuclear power plant or PLTN in partnership with the United States. Indonesia received a grant worth US$2.3 million or Rp34 billion to develop the program. 

Deputy for International Economic Cooperation Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Edi Prio Pambudi, said that one of the nuclear technologies developed is a small modular reactor (SMR). Financing development will be carried out at Gasong Beach, West Kalimantan Province.

"We need additional energy sources that can be faster and last longer," said Edi on Thursday, May 30, 2024.

Edi said that the government has been reviewing the use of SMR technology for energy supply purposes since 2023 since Indonesia has a significant number of smelters and industries with large electricity capacity.

The financing partnership is carried out with the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). On February 28, USTDA and PLN Indonesia Power signed a technical assistance contract containing 18 chapters that discuss location evaluation, soil tests, fuel sources, grid impact, stakeholder communication costs, and risk mitigation studies.

In April 2024, the US proposed SMR as one of the working areas in the Indo-Pacific Economy Framework (IPEF) Pillar III on clean energy. The IPEF discussion is expected to help accelerate the development of Nuclear SMR in Indonesia.

Apart from the US, Edi said the government also opened up opportunities for cooperation in nuclear power plants with South Korea due to similarity in technology.

ILONA ESTHERINA

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