Jakarta’s nuclear plans face a reality check

JAKARTA: Indonesia is courting several countries to build its first nuclear power plants, but none has submitted a site evaluation application with the country’s nuclear agency while one early private investor has already walked away, exposing a mismatch between government ambition and bureaucratic inertia.

The government is collaborating with major trading partners in hopes of getting a nuclear plan up and running by 2032 at the earliest. According to Coordinating Downstream and Energy Transition Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, one of the nuclear power plants is slated to be located in Riau Islands province.

“We are currently conducting a study for a plant to be situated in the Riau Islands,” Bahlil said. “This is part of our efforts to ensure energy security, and the details are still being calculated.”

The Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency said it had not received any applications or requests for consultation related to site evaluation for the Riau Islands project.

According to Ishak, head of Bapeten’s legal, cooperation and communication bureau: “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.” — The Jakarta Post/ANN