Indonesia in talks with US, Russia for nuclear power technology

29/11/2024 18:08

        Indonesia is in talks with the United States and Russia about acquiring technology to develop nuclear power plants, an Indonesian government deputy minister told Reuters on Friday.
        
        Southeast Asia's biggest economy is looking at operating nuclear power plants as early as 2036 to cut its dependence on fossil fuels, said Vivi Yulaswati, deputy minister at the Ministry of National Development Planning.
        
        It is open to both small modular reactors and conventional nuclear technology, she said in a video interview.
        
        In Indonesia, nuclear power plants have been a controversial topic as the country is prone to earthquakes. When asked if orders have been placed, Yulaswati said it was too early for that to have happened.
        
        Thirty countries, nine of which are in Asia, use nuclear power for electricity generation, data from energy think tank Ember shows.
        
        Indonesia, a country of over 275 million people, accounts for the lion's share of increasing coal use for power generation in Southeast Asia. More than half of its current capacity is powered by coal and clean energy sources including hydropower account for less than 15%.