Indonesia to develop small modular reactor capability

PLN Indonesia Power (Indonesia Power) has chosen Oregon-based NuScale to carry out the assistance in partnership with a subsidiary of Texas-based Fluor Corporation and Japan’s JGC Corporation.

In a statement, John Hopkins, NuScale president and CEO, said: “In addition to providing our innovative small modular reactor technology to countries like Indonesia, NuScale continues to support the US government in strengthening relationships abroad through clean energy. NuScale VOYGR SMR power plants are poised for the energy transition and will reinforce energy security for years to come.”

VOYGR SMR plants are powered by NuScale’s Power Module, which is based on pressurised water-cooled reactor technology and is the only SMR to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale said its Power Module was developed to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, commercial-scale hydrogen production and other process heat applications.

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For its part, USTDA said it will help to assess the technical and economic viability of the proposed 462MW nuclear power plant, which is set to be located in West Kalimantan. It will include a site selection plan, power plant and interconnection system design, preliminary environmental and social impact assessment, risk assessment, cost estimate and regulatory review. 

In addition, $1m in new funding is being made available for capacity-building in Indonesia, building on its existing partnership under the US Department of State Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of SMR Technology (FIRST) Program.  This includes support in areas such as workforce development, stakeholder engagement and licensing.

“After 78 years of waiting, now is the time to achieve self-sufficiency in emission-free green energy,” said Edwin Nugraha Putra, Indonesia Power’s president. “Through cooperation on technical assistance for the development of a small modular reactor, Indonesia Power, the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, and NuScale - with support from USTDA, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and PT PLN (Persero) - have opened the gates to a new era of nuclear energy for electricity to light up Indonesia.”