In the past five years, Indonesia has produced no nuclear power. The government is showing more interest in nuclear energy, but no plants have been approved or funded yet.
Indonesia still generates 0% of its electricity from nuclear power. There has been no increase in nuclear generation over the past five years because the country has no operating nuclear power plants, only research reactors. That said, Jakarta has stepped up planning for small modular reactors (SMRs) and even floating nuclear options.
Current status & recent momentum:
In 2025, officials floated plans for 4–10 GW of nuclear capacity by the 2030s–2040s, including SMRs and floating plants; however, these are proposals, not projects under construction. A U.S.–Indonesia partnership announced in 2023 supports feasibility work on SMRs, while Russia’s Rosatom has pitched an Indonesian floating nuclear power plant. None of these has reached a construction-ready stage.
Share of energy output:
Because there’s no nuclear capacity on the grid, the nuclear share of power generation remains 0%. Indonesia’s installed capacity is ~90–100 GW, dominated by coal and gas, with renewables under 15 GW.
“Sources” of Indonesia’s nuclear use today:
Indonesia operates three research reactors, RSG-GAS (30 MW, Serpong), TRIGA Bandung, and Kartini Yogyakarta, which produce isotopes, support research, and train engineers, but do not supply the grid. These facilities are now under BRIN (the National Research and Innovation Agency).
Who regulates and monitors safety?
The independent regulator is BAPETEN (Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency). It licenses, inspects, and enforces nuclear and radiation safety across Indonesia.
Costs and Timelines:
Building nuclear power plants costs a lot of money up front and takes a long time. Even standard plants usually take more than five years to build. Small modular reactors (SMRs) might be faster, but they still face delays and higher costs. Recent SMR projects, like NuScale’s in the U.S., saw big increases in construction costs, showing that funding such projects in Indonesia could be difficult.
Are the reactors “updated/modern”?
If Indonesia proceeds, the candidates are Gen-III+ or SMR designs, i.e., modern reactors with passive safety features. Today’s operating units in Indonesia are research reactors, not power reactors.
How long would it take to install?
Even with aggressive programs, a first-of-a-kind SMR deployment typically requires ~7–10+ years from siting and licensing to operation (site selection, environmental review, financing, supply chain, construction, fuel). Large conventional plants often take longer.
Waste management: what’s in place?
Indonesia centralizes radioactive waste at PTLR, the national Center for Radioactive Waste Technology in Serpong (now under BRIN). PTLR treats and stores low- and intermediate-level waste and maintains interim storage for used fuel from research reactors. At the same time, BRIN explores options for a dedicated disposal facility for low/medium-level waste. A future power program would require scaled-up facilities and a full back-end policy for spent fuel.
In the past five years, Indonesia has produced no nuclear power. The government is showing more interest in nuclear energy, but no plants have been approved or funded yet. If built, they would utilize modern designs, incur significant costs, take years to complete, be overseen by BAPETEN, and necessitate BRIN’s expansion of waste management facilities.
This post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Indonesia Country Manager, Netra Naik.