Indonesia and IAEA strengthen cooperation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Indonesia signed a practical arrangement yesterday to promote nuclear science and technology, and to strengthen technical cooperation among developing countries.

Amano and Nasir at the signing of the practical arrangement (Image: IAEA)

The agreement - aimed at strengthening the existing cooperation between the IAEA and Indonesia - was signed in Jakarta by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Indonesian Minister for Research, Technology & Higher Education Mohamad Nasir.

Indonesia has worked with the IAEA for the past 61 years.

Nasir said the signing of the agreement is deemed necessary to encourage technical cooperation between developing countries and the strengthening of South-South cooperation.

"With this signing, Indonesia can further support the IAEA to share and deliver capacity to other countries, under the IAEA's main mandate to expand the contribution of nuclear energy to peace, health and welfare worldwide," he said.

The IAEA says nuclear energy is relevant to most of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.

To achieve food self-sufficiency and SDGs, Indonesia - with the support of the IAEA - has developed two important projects. The first deals with intensifying the quality of soybean production to improve productivity and profitability of soybean farming. The second involves the use of nuclear techniques, such as immuno-radio tests and stable isotopes to increase livestock production and improve the management of locally-based feed.

Indonesia's National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) is promoting the introduction of nuclear power plants to help meet the county's demand for power. It envisages the start-up of conventional large light-water reactors on the populous islands of Bali, Java, Madura and Sumatra from 2027 onwards. In addition, it is planning small HTGRs (up to 100 MWe) for deployment on Kalimantan, Sulawesi and other islands to supply power and heat for industrial use.

Prior to the introduction of commercial reactors in Indonesia, Batan is considering building a test and demonstration HTGR with an electrical output of 3-10 MWe and a thermal output of 10-30 MWt.

Researched and writtenby World Nuclear News