Jakarta Post/Kompas-Dec 16
The prototype reactor is to be delivered by South Korea in 2028 via sea route, with total investment for the project set to amount to Rp 17 trillion (US$1.06 billion), which would include a survey, research, technology transfer and infrastructure, among other things. Indonesia’s first nuclear power plant is set to be built on Kelasa Island in the province of Bangka Belitung. “Right now, the regional regulation on spatial planning is [under review] at the ministry, and [we are] waiting for its approval,” PT Thorcon Indonesia director Bob S. Effendi said on Dec. 12, as quoted by kompas.com. The prototype reactor is to be delivered by South Korea in 2028 via sea route, and total investment for the project is set to amount to Rp 17 trillion (US$1.06 billion), which would include a survey, research, technology transfer and infrastructure, among other things. Bob went on to say that Bangka Belitung would make history as the country’s first province with a nuclear power plant, which he claimed would boost its potential for renewable energy development thanks to increased investor confidence. “In Indonesia, there are two [potential locations], including West Kalimantan and Bangka Belitung. We see the prospects in Bangka Belitung, with Thorcon Indonesia as the investor,” Bob explained. Other potential locations to build the plant in Bangka Belitung included Tanjung Ular in the regency of West Bangka and some areas in South Bangka. The company plans to use thorium, a rare earth element, as the raw material and seeks to build the only available thorium-based nuclear power plant in the country, as well as the world’s pilot plant, with the abundant tin resources in Bangka Belitung. Thorium can be produced as a by-product in the production of tin. “For the electronics industry, rare earth elements are not new, but [their potential] has yet to be realized for the economy in this region,” Bob said. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/12/16/ri-to-build-first-nuclear-power-plant-in-bangka-belitung.html.
