Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Indonesia’s Nuclear Policies Gaps
Current Situation
Sitting on the fourth rank of the most populated countries, Indonesia is the only top 5 populated country which does not have a commercial nuclear reactor for energy purposes. Indonesia relies on coal (85% of the electricity source) to support the life of 280 millions people. Fortunately, the government realises the importance of developing clean energy sources, and currently, Indonesia has an ambitious goal in developing nuclear energy. Written on the Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) formulated by the PLN, the Government has a plan to operate its first nuclear reactor by 2032, aiming to provide 438 GWh to the Nation’s electricity supply.
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The problem is…
…PLN as the operator and BAPETEN as the regulatory body already constructed and fulfilled 16 infrastructure requirements (out of 19) formulated by IAEA INIR (Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review). Those 16 points are the technical ones, leaving 3 remaining points unprepared; “National Position”, “Management”, and “Stakeholder Involvement”. Despite technical readiness, the absence of these three aspects will create a fragile foundation.
The latest law that discusses nuclear energy was established in 1997. There are several drafts for the updated laws, but it was not yet approved. When we look at Law of the Republic of Indonesia number 10 of 1997 on Nuclear Energy that the role of the public can be improved through the establishment of an advisory council, a non-structural and independent institution/body composed of experts and community leaders, aimed to provide advice and considerations regarding the use of nuclear energy which later called Nuclear Energy Council or MTN. However, after being re-stated on Presidential Decree №83 of 2014, and in Bill on New and Renewable Energy in 2022, there is no concrete establishment of the body
The response, we need to…
…refer to Global Safety Requirements part 1 (GSR-1), The government shall create laws emphasising the involvement of interested parties. Public/people is one of the interested parties because they will be affected (in good and bad ways) by the presence of the nuclear reactor. The MTN could become a place for the public to speak out their thoughts and concerns and they become inputs to decision making. Even though there are social organisations such as the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Society (MEBNI) and the Indonesian Nuclear Society Association (HIMNI), they operate as external advocacy groups lacking the authority to formally bind government decisions. Addressing this institutional void is urgent; without a functioning independent council to mediate public trust, the nuclear roadmap will remain a technically sound plan that lacks the social license to operate.
