By Calvin Purba
Indonesian government is drafting a presidential regulation (Perpres) to govern the processing of radioactive materials for use in nuclear power plants (PLTNs), aiming to leverage domestic natural resources to meet future energy needs.
“In Law No. 2 of 2025, provisions for purification and processing are already included. We are now preparing the implementing regulation, which we hope will soon be enacted to enable the purification and processing of radioactive materials for energy use,” said Yuliot Tanjung, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), on Friday (June 20).
Indonesia currently lacks a legal framework specifically regulating radioactive-related business operations. To address this, the government is working to establish a licensing mechanism in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
Read also: Government prepares regulations for nuclear power development
“For radioactive materials sourced from mining license areas, the procedure is quite strict. A joint team involving BRIN [National Research and Innovation Agency], BAPETEN [Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency], and the Energy Ministry must be involved. We also need to assess environmental considerations,” Yuliot explained.
He also noted that China and Russia have expressed interest in providing nuclear technology to Indonesia.
“The technologies being offered are reportedly from China and Russia. This could be linked to the Minister’s recent visit abroad. There may have been discussions—we're awaiting the Minister’s clarification,” he added.
As part of its nuclear development policy, the government plans to impose a minimum Domestic Component Level (TKDN) of 40% for nuclear power plant projects.
According to the 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL), state utility PT PLN (Persero) has identified the potential availability of around 24,112 tons of uranium and thorium in Melawi Regency, West Kalimantan Province. The data was sourced from the Geological Atlas compiled by the provincial energy and mining office.
However, PLN is still awaiting a clear government policy on nuclear energy use, supported by a feasibility study on nuclear power plant development.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak
