Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto wants Indonesia to tap into nuclear power one day, citing that this is the cheapest option out there to generate electricity.

Speaking to senior journalists and analysts in his private home, Prabowo said that he was open to using nuclear power, but sought to steer clear of accidents. The retired army general also still wants to listen to expert opinions before arriving at a decision.

“[Nuclear power] hinges on what the experts think. If we can use it, then why not? Nuclear power is actually the most affordable and cleanest [energy source],” Prabowo told the hours-long forum, as seen in the video uploaded Sunday.

“It’s now all a matter of how we can handle its safety.”

Despite Prabowo’s nuclear acceptance, Indonesia still has to establish a national watchdog before any meaningful progress can occur. This NEPIO — short for Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO) — will oversee the preparation and execution of the development. Prabowo is expected to ink the NEPIO regulations anytime soon, according to his government officials, although no such document is out as of writing. 

The World Nuclear Association describes nuclear plants as being “expensive to build but relatively cheap to run”. The overnight costs reach roughly $2,500/kWe (kilowatt-electric) in China.

In the meantime, Jakarta’s nuclear program has amassed quite a long queue of foreign partners, with the US and Japan at the lead. The Oregon-based nuclear company NuScale is already taking part in developing a small modular reactor in West Kalimantan. Japanese engineering firm JGC is also involved in the project. 

Indonesia recently clinched a nuclear deal with Japan, whose 9.5% of electricity generation mix already comes from nuclear as of 2024, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The memorandum of cooperation — although not legally binding — opens doors for Japanese financing via its export credit agencies. 

Russia — another nuclear powerhouse — repeatedly made multiple attempts to convince Indonesia to use its technologies via the state atomic energy agency Rosatom.

“Indonesia’s national plan envisages more than 7 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2040. That calls for large-scale nuclear power plants. We can provide that,” Rosatom senior official Alexander Tsibulya said not long ago.

The national power generation roadmap commits Indonesia to adding 500 megawatts of nuclear capacity by 2033. 

However, Prabowo’s responses throughout the interview indicated that his government now prioritizes solar power in Indonesia’s energy transition. Indonesia aims to install 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity within two years. Prabowo also signaled using vacant lands belonging to the state forestry firm Perhutani to set up the plants.

But Indonesia will still take things slow with the coal phase-outs, although IEA data showed the combustible black rock made up 69.1% of the national energy mix as of 2023. To Prabowo, there is nothing wrong with using cheap coal as the world grapples with global energy shocks unleashed by the Iran war.