State-owned electricity company PT PLN has confirmed its support for initiating the construction of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) in Indonesia.
Evy Haryadi, PLN’s Director of Transmission and System Planning, said that there are 19 key aspects that must be prepared for Indonesia to successfully implement a nuclear power program.
“Based on the information we have received, these 19 aspects are already prepared by several stakeholders,” Evy said during the launch of Electricity Connect 2024 on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
However, three of these aspects remain unresolved for Indonesia, namely national positioning, management, and stakeholder engagement.
Evy noted that these issues will be a major topic of discussion at the Electricity Connect event, organized by the Indonesian Electrical Society (MKI), scheduled for November 20-22, 2024. He, therefore, invited nuclear industry stakeholders to attend the event.
“These three aspects will be extensively discussed at Electricity Connect. There will be information sharing on the challenges of implementing a nuclear program and more,” he said.
Previously, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) announced that nuclear power plants are included in the National Electricity General Plan (RUKN) for 2033. This inclusion allows for the maximization of nuclear-related electricity programs.
“Our RUKN has stated that nuclear power can be included by 2033,” Eniya Listiani Dewi, Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of ESDM, told a panel discussion leading up to COP-29 in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Eniya revealed that she has had several discussions on nuclear energy with the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
These discussions have focused on safety issues, technology readiness, and the human resources required to manage the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs).
“Pak Luhut still needs to be convinced about safety and the human resources handling the NPPs, but we have already prepared the regulations,” Eniya said.
The government is discussing the establishment of a Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization (NEPIO) to oversee the implementation of NPPs. The Ministry of ESDM has released new regulations regarding the preparation team for NEPIO.
The organization’s tasks are outlined in ESDM Ministerial Decree (Kepmen) No. 34.K/HK.02/MEM/2024, which revises Kepmen ESDM No. 250.K/HK.02/MEM/2021 about the preparation team for NEPIO, fulfilling the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements for building NPPs.
