Singapore’s National Environment Agency and Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) signed a memorandum of understanding in Jakarta on June 30 to cooperate on nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and radiation protection. The agreement formalizes joint training, personnel exchanges, research partnerships, and technical meetings between the two regulators as Singapore continues studying whether nuclear energy could feature in its future power mix.
Key Facts At A Glance
- MOU signed June 30, 2026 in Jakarta by NEA CEO Dr Benjamin Koh and BAPETEN Acting Chairman Ir. Zainal Arifin
- Covers nuclear regulatory policy, radiation and nuclear application oversight, emergency preparedness and response, and environmental radiation monitoring
- Activities include joint training, personnel exchanges, research partnerships, and technical meetings
- Builds on existing cooperation through ASEANTOM, the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy
- Singapore will undergo an IAEA assessment in 2027 to evaluate its readiness to make an informed decision on nuclear deployment
- Indonesia is targeting roughly 500 MW of nuclear capacity by the early 2030s
- NEA is Singapore’s national authority for radiation protection and nuclear safety and is building capabilities to support a government study on nuclear deployment
- BAPETEN is Indonesia’s national regulator for nuclear energy use, safety, security, and safeguards
Under the memorandum, NEA and BAPETEN will collaborate across nuclear regulatory policy, the regulation of radiation and nuclear applications, radiological and nuclear emergency preparedness, and environmental radiation monitoring. The agreement extends a bilateral relationship the two regulators have maintained for years, while adding a more structured framework of joint training and personnel exchanges going forward.
A Regional Framework Behind The Bilateral Deal
The MOU does not stand alone. It builds on coordination already underway through ASEANTOM, the regional platform through which Southeast Asian countries share information and standards on radiation protection, nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and emergency response. NEA framed the Indonesia agreement explicitly as part of a broader push to deepen ASEAN-level trust and collective preparedness for any radiological emergency in the region, not simply a two-country technical exchange.
Dr Koh said the collaboration reflects NEA’s commitment to working with ASEAN partners to build regional trust and readiness, and comes as Singapore continues assessing nuclear energy’s potential role in its future energy mix. Ir. Zainal Arifin described the partnership as more than a technical exchange, framing it instead as a long-term strategic relationship with room to grow into deeper cooperation on regulatory capacity and safety oversight as nuclear and radiation applications expand across the region.
Two Countries, Two Different Nuclear Trajectories
The agreement pairs two Southeast Asian nations at different stages of their nuclear planning. Singapore has made no decision to deploy nuclear power and remains, by its own officials’ description, in a capability-building phase; the country will undergo a formal International Atomic Energy Agency assessment in 2027 to determine whether it has the technical expertise, legal institutions, and regulatory frameworks needed to make an informed decision on eventual deployment. Indonesia is considerably further along, with plans for roughly 500 MW of nuclear capacity by the early 2030s as part of its broader energy diversification push away from coal dependence.
That asymmetry is part of the logic behind the deal. Singapore has been steadily accumulating similar regulatory partnerships, including with nuclear safety authorities in the United Kingdom, Finland, France, and the United States, treating each as a channel for technical expertise rather than a step toward a construction decision. The Indonesia agreement gives Singapore a regional counterpart with more advanced hands-on experience in areas like site assessment and emergency response planning, while giving Indonesia a partner with strong regulatory and institutional capacity as it works to scale up its own nuclear ambitions.