Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) participated in a nuclear energy ecosystem benchmarking activity in the United States on April 20–24, 2026, as part of the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program. As quoted from the agency on Saturday, May 2, 2026, the program serves as a crucial platform to prepare the foundation for the safe and sustainable development of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
“This activity serves as a strategic platform to strengthen communication and explore concrete steps for international cooperation, particularly in the development and deployment of SMRs in Indonesia,” Head of the BRIN’s Nuclear Energy Research Organization (ORTN), Syaiful Bakhri, said in an interview on Thursday, April 30, in South Tangerang, Banten.
Syaiful explained that this activity was not just benchmarking, but also a coordination forum to discuss follow-up cooperation, including technological, regulatory, and overall national preparedness.
“Another goal is to directly observe the progress of SMR development currently under construction, including by companies like NuScale, BWX Technologies, Kairos Power, and X-Energy. This is important as a reference in determining the most appropriate technology for Indonesia,” he explained.
At the forum, BRIN said it emphasized its role as the institution responsible for the technical and scientific aspects of national nuclear energy development, including technology selection, site determination, and human resource development. Syaiful stated that the forum also discussed some strategic inputs from national stakeholders, including the National Energy Council (DEN), on the future direction of nuclear development.
“Going forward, cooperation is needed in preparing regulations for various reactor models. This will ensure Indonesia has a strong regulatory framework and is ready for the technology’s implementation. BRIN’s ORTN also supports this strengthening,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Director of Technology, Engineering, and Sustainability at the state-owned electricity company PLN, Evy Haryadi, stated that PLN is ready to follow up on the benchmarking results with a concrete implementation-level step.
“PLN will follow up on the results of the SMR benchmarking in the United States by developing a roadmap for its implementation in Indonesia in accordance with government policy, as well as strengthening coordination with regulators and international partners to realize safe and reliable nuclear power plants to support the energy transition,” Haryadi said.
Director General of Economic Relations and Development Cooperation at Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Tumpal Simanjuntak, emphasized the importance of strengthening cross-country cooperation in supporting the development of nuclear energy in Indonesia. He said that the United States government has explicitly expressed its support for the development of a nuclear power plant in Indonesia, including through the formation of a consortium of the four major nuclear power nations: the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Canada.
“In addition, there is the US-Indonesia 2+2 Dialogue Forum (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources) as a strategic coordination mechanism for nuclear energy cooperation between the two countries,” Daniel explained.
Source: RRI