Russia offers Indonesia full-spectrum nuclear cooperation package

Rosatom has said it is ready to offer Indonesia a comprehensive framework for developing its nuclear energy programme, spanning gigawatt-scale reactors, small modular units and floating nuclear power plants.

The comments were made by Rosatom’s director-general Alexei Likhachev following meetings with Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto, where the two sides discussed cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Likhachev said it was particularly important that nuclear dialogue between Russia and Indonesia was developing in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. He said that Indonesia had set ambitious goals for its nuclear energy sector, adding that discussions were focused not only on technology but also on building a long-term partnership aimed at developing a new industry, training national personnel, building new capabilities and strengthening technological independence.

World Nuclear News writes that during the visit, talks also involved Indonesia’s minister of energy and mineral resources and the head of the state-owned PT PLN, with discussions covering how nuclear power could be integrated into the country’s energy system, taking into account the geography of its archipelago.

According to TASS, Likhachev also told reporters after the talks that Russia was ready to offer maximum localisation of technological processes both during construction and at the operational stage. He pointed to examples in Belarus, Turkey and Egypt, saying these countries were not only building plants and generating revenue but also acquiring expertise and later contributing to other projects.

He added that specialists from Belarus were currently working on the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, while Rosatom plans to involve Turkish partners in projects in Hungary.

Indonesia already operates research reactors and has long expressed ambitions to develop nuclear power capacity, with proposals for both large-scale reactors and small modular systems under consideration over the past two decades.