Jakarta. Canada announced Friday its willingness to help Indonesia tap into nuclear power, thus joining the list of possible international partners for Jakarta’s quest in using the low-carbon energy source.

Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen is currently on a visit to the Southeast Asian country. Speaking to the press on the margins of his visit, Hussen said that Ottawa was aware of Jakarta’s interest in including nuclear power in its energy mix. According to Hussen, Canada would like to help Indonesia design the necessary regulatory framework -- a key component before nuclear power generation can go live. Hussen revealed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously pitched the idea of nuclear power cooperation with the ASEAN bloc, of which Indonesia is a member of.

“Canada is exploring how nuclear energy can be used by Indonesia. … You have to set up the regulatory conditions to build a nuclear ecosystem. … Prime Minister Trudeau had told ASEAN that Canada is ready to provide that expertise,” Hussen told the press in Jakarta.

“He [Trudeau] wasn’t just talking about the narrow nuclear expertise, although that is part of it. He was talking about the broader regulatory context and framework that you need to set up if you are going down the route of establishing a nuclear energy industry,” Hussen said.

Indonesia already has three nuclear reactors which are strictly limited to research purposes. They are in Yogyakarta, Serpong, and Bandung -- all located in the densely populated island of Java. The National Energy Council has identified 29 possible locations for nuclear power generation. Many of them are scattered around West Kalimantan.

Nuclear energy provides 15 percent of Canada's electricity. As many as five plants in three Canadian provinces house 22 nuclear power reactors. 

Canada is also not the only foreign partner who has shown interest in Indonesia’s nuclear power plan.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has provided a $2.3 million grant for PLN Indonesia Power, a subholding of the state electricity firm, to run a feasibility study on a small nuclear reactor in West Kalimantan. This facility will use the technology from the Oregon-based NuScale. 

Indonesia recently bagged a nuclear power deal with Turkiye despite the latter’s first reactor having yet to come online. Even so, Turkiye is planning to launch the trial production at its first nuclear power plant this year. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Bogor saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding on a bilateral cooperation on energy. The deal includes the possibility of partnering on new energy technologies, including nuclear and hydropower.

France, which derives up to 70 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors, has emerged as a possible partner for Indonesia with its ambassador Fabien Penone confirming his country’s interest. The same goes for Russia which boasts the world’s first floating nuclear power plant. Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto recently nudged the top brass of Emirati renewable energy giant Masdar into investing in Indonesia’s nuclear power.

Indonesia aims to begin the commercial operation of its first 250-megawatt nuclear plant by 2032.

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