Indonesia nuclear plans draw South Korean interest
A South Korean diplomat sees scope for nuclear and carbon storage cooperation, but says no specific projects are ready to be announced.
South Korea sees opportunities to cooperate with Indonesia on nuclear energy as AI expansion and data centre development drive electricity demand, South Korean diplomat Kim Chanwoo said at a journalism workshop in Jakarta.
Kim, Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Jakarta, cited his country's experience exporting nuclear technology and constructing plants abroad. He said nuclear generation could bolster Indonesia's energy security, although it is not classified as renewable energy.
Indonesia has allocated 0.5 GW to nuclear generation in its Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) for 2025–2034. The plan targets additional generating capacity of 69.5 gigawatts (GW), including 42.6 GW from new and renewable sources and 10.3 GW from storage systems. The government wants to settle on a nuclear plant site by 2026, with 2027 as the latest deadline.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is another potential partnership area. Kim said several Korean companies were interested in Indonesia's geological capacity to store CO2. Technical assessments and investigations would be needed before that interest could become concrete projects, he said.
Government bodies and businesses discussed CCS at the 14th Indonesia-Korea Energy Forum in Bali, according to Kim. He said there were no specific projects to announce.
The countries signed clean energy and CCS agreements in Seoul on April 1, 2026. These cover cooperation in areas including nuclear generation, renewables, hydrogen and energy storage, alongside cross-border CCS technology, commercialisation, research and industrial projects.
