Indonesia is actively seeking the participation of several countries in building its first nuclear power plants, with the first planned to begin operating as early as 2032. However, no country has yet submitted an application for a site assessment, while an early private investor has withdrawn, highlighting the gap between the government’s ambitions and actual progress.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Downstream and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia said last month that the government was studying the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Riau Islands to ensure national energy security; details were still being assessed.

However, Indonesia’s nuclear energy regulatory agency, Bapeten, told The Jakarta Post that it had not received any applications or requests for consultation on a site assessment for the Riau Islands project.

Ishak, head of Bapeten’s legal, cooperation and public communication bureau, said, “The inclusion of a [potential power plant site] in a planning document does not necessarily indicate that the location has obtained approval in the nuclear safety aspects... Each candidate site must still undergo assessment and approval in accordance with the relevant regulations.”

ThorCon International, a US-based company headquartered in Singapore, had pledged to invest about US$1.2 billion (S$1.532 billion) to build a 500-megawatt thorium molten salt reactor on Pulau Kelasa in Bangka Belitung province. However, the company dissolved its Indonesian subsidiary TPI and exited the market before the project completed the site assessment stage.

Ishak said Bapeten had been notified of TPI’s dissolution and would communicate with all relevant parties to learn more about the situation.

Ishak noted that several parties had expressed interest in developing nuclear power plants in Indonesia, and that Bapeten would apply the same regulatory framework to all projects.

Indonesia is seeking cooperation with competing global powers to build its first nuclear power plant, but geopolitical interests could complicate the nuclear ambitions of Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

On 18 June, then foreign minister Sugiono approved nuclear energy cooperation with Russia, including technology transfer and human resources development. He said this would help Indonesia achieve its goal of energy self-sufficiency.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has also welcomed potential cooperation with the US through the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) programme. This is a civil nuclear safety initiative led by the US State Department, with the Japanese government as a partner.

The Indonesian government has also held consultations with potential investors from Canada, China, Japan and South Korea on nuclear power deployment.