The narrative sounds familiar: Partnership, promise, progress. But the timing only confirms how late we have arrived.

Between 2017 and 2023, the US built no commercial nuclear reactors, domestically or abroad. The sole exception, Vogtle Unit 3, began construction back in 2013 and only entered commercial operation in July 2023. Meanwhile, Russia built 25. China, 13.

While the SMR partnership may appear new or promising on the surface, announcing it now, after years of global acceleration, reveals how reactive, delayed and dependent Indonesia’s nuclear posture has become.

The concern is not with SMRs themselves. In fact, the modular scale, decentralized structure and smaller footprint make them a culturally promising fit for Indonesia. The problem is when SMRs, like any technology, are rushed into deployment without full demonstration, rigorous oversight, or institutional transparency.

The renewed promotion of thorium-based reactors is a parallel concern. No such reactor has ever been commercially deployed, not even in the US, where thorium research has circulated for decades. Yet Indonesia, which has yet to operate a single conventional power reactor, is nudged toward these experimental designs.

Indonesia