Jakarta (ANTARA) - Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia disclosed on Tuesday that Canada and Russia have submitted proposals to participate in the development of nuclear power plants in Indonesia.
“Canada, I have met with the minister. Russia (too). There are several other countries that I cannot reveal yet,” he said here.
According to the minister, Indonesia has prepared a road map for developing nuclear power plants with a capacity of up to 500 MW by 2034. The government is planning to develop 250 MW of nuclear power plant capacity in Sumatra, and the remaining 250MW in Kalimantan.
It plans to use small modular reactor (SMR) technology at the two locations, he added.
“However, what kind of cooperation will it be? The concept is currently being discussed. We have discussed their offer,” Lahadalia revealed.
In addition, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is preparing a regulation to process uranium, which is mainly found in West Kalimantan in the country, to support the development of nuclear power plants.
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“We are preparing the government regulation. Hopefully, it can be implemented for the purification of radioactive material processing,” Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Yuliot Tanjung, informed last week.
Uranium processing is included in radioactive businesses, he said.
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Currently, the government is preparing for the licensing system, considering that radioactive mining businesses require stricter supervision, he added.
Uranium is the main fuel used in nuclear reactors. According to the plan, the uranium potential of Melawi Regency, West Kalimantan, is 24,112 tons.
However, the use of nuclear energy as a primary energy source is still awaiting a policy regulation from the government, backed by a feasibility study on the construction of nuclear power plants.
