Tuesday, 5 August 2025
Indonesia’s nuclear regulator has approved Thorcon’s site evaluation plan and the site evaluation management system plan for a proposed power plant based on its advanced molten salt reactor technology at a site on Kelasa Island in Bankga Belitung Province.
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PT Thorcon Power Indonesia (PT TPI) – a subsidiary of Singapore-based Thorcon International – submitted its site evaluation programme (PET) and site evaluation management system documents for approval to Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) in January this year. The submission followed almost two years of pre-licensing consultations.
“Over the subsequent months, we followed our protocols to review their submissions and to inform TPI about elements which required revision,” said Mr Wiryono, Director of Nuclear Fuel and Reactor Licensing at Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency. “TPI thoroughly addressed these elements, and we are pleased to formally grant the approvals they sought.”
Thorcon noted: “It is the first-ever nuclear power plant-related licensing approval from the Indonesian government, and it marks the completion of the first step of Thorcon’s nuclear power plant licensing campaign in Indonesia.”
PT TPI’s proposed plant is based on technology developed by the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1960s. It will feature the Thorcon 500, a 500 MWe molten salt reactor (MSR) power plant, comprised of two low-enriched-uranium-fueled 250 MWe reactors in two replaceable, sealed ‘Cans’. At any one time, just one of the Cans of each power module is producing thermal power. After eight years of operation, the nuclear module is disconnected, replaced with a new one, and towed to a maintenance centre for Can replacement.
A preliminary site survey conducted on Kelasa Island, located in Central Bangka in Bangka Belitung Province identified the site as “a strong candidate” for the plant, Thorcon said. “The survey focused on safety, ecological, and site suitability factors, with initial results showing promise for further studies.”
Kelasa Island (Image: Thorcon)
Thorcon, which established a domestic engineering and licensing team, PT Thorcon Power Indonesia, said the approval of its site evaluation programme and site evaluation management system for the proposed plant “demonstrates the company’s competence in understanding and complying with Indonesia’s nuclear regulatory requirements when developing the Kelasa site for a nuclear power plant. It also demonstrates that PT Thorcon Power Indonesia has the organisational competence in planning and conducting the approved nuclear activities.”
“We see enormous potential for nuclear power in Indonesia, which is why we have established a domestic nuclear power and licensing team,” said Kun Chen, PT TPI Chief Nuclear Officer. “We are the first and only nuclear company to have done this.”
The approval of PTI’s site evaluation programme and site evaluation management system comes after the Indonesian government announced in May its aim to introduce 10 GW of nuclear generating capacity by 2040. Currently, more than half of Indonesia’s installed power capacity is coal-fired.
“The approval from BAPETEN is a strong signal that Indonesia is ready to develop and license nuclear power quickly, following its promise to award contracts within five years to meet clean energy targets,” Thorcon said.
It said the next steps for the Kelasa site are to obtain the site licence and design approval, “with the potential to start construction in 2027 and achieve full power by 2031”.
“We’ll be working closely with the local community and governor as we work towards the site licence and design approval,” said Dhita Ashari, COO of Thorcon Power Indonesia. “It is now widely understood that nuclear power is one of the safest forms of electricity generation, but we’re keen to ensure local communities understand the inherent safety of Thorcon’s unique design.”
Thorcon International CEO Matt Wilkinson added: “Indonesia continues to demonstrate strong nuclear leadership. BAPETEN’s review of our … application was rigorous and we worked hard to meet their stringent requirements. This approval is a big step forward in delivering fast, scalable nuclear that competes with coal on cost. We look forward to continuing to work with BAPETEN, and the local government and community to bring this project into construction and online.”
