Desain Konseptual PLTN Terapung di Indonesia Timur: Aspek Kelayakan dan Implikasi Ekonomi

Abstract

English

Indonesia is a vast archipelagic country with thousands of islands stretching from west to east; however, the distribution and accessibility of electricity supply remain uneven across regions. This challenge necessitates reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy solutions, particularly in the eastern part of the country. To address the energy crisis and climate change mitigation, the Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) has emerged as a potential alternative due to its ability to generate large-scale electricity with low emissions, more efficient construction compared to land-based plants, and accessible cooling processes. This study evaluates the feasibility of implementing the FNPP design in the waters surrounding Halmahera Island, North Maluku Province. In addition to technical feasibility, the study also highlights economic implications, where the proposed 300 MW capacity not only has the potential to reduce energy disparities but also to provide affordable electricity (SDGs 7), support sustainable infrastructure development (SDGs 9), and promote the blue economy through enhanced access to electricity, strengthened fisheries, port activities, and the maritime industry. Accordingly, the conceptual design of the FNPP is expected to serve as a strategic solution to improve national energy security while supporting Indonesia’s sustainable development agenda. Furthermore, this design recommendation is anticipated to serve as a strategic reference to reduce energy disparities in remote areas, strengthen national energy resilience, and contribute to the global development agenda.

Bahasa Indonesia

Electricity supply disparities in archipelagic systems create demand for low-emission baseload generation, yet plant capacity must be compatible with grid size, site safety, and financing conditions. This study develops a conceptual pre-feasibility assessment of a 250 MWe floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) for North Maluku by integrating energy-demand screening, floating-structure design basis, nuclear-maritime siting requirements, stationkeeping, and engineering-economic analysis. At a 90% capacity factor, annual generation is estimated at 1,971 GWh, compared with approximately 1,356.62 GWh of electricity distributed in North Maluku. The proposed unit would therefore produce 45.3% more annual energy than current distribution and its rated output would exceed the system's average load, making interconnection, firm industrial off-take, reserve provision, or a smaller modular unit essential. An illustrative economic screening based on USD 7,000/kW CAPEX, a 60-year operating life, five-year construction, an 8.28% discount rate, a 90% capacity factor, and a tariff of IDR 1,877/kWh yields an NPV of USD 48.6 million, an IRR of 8.52%, a 14-year payback period from project start, and an LCOE of approximately IDR 1,831/kWh. The project is only marginally viable and remains highly sensitive to capital cost, tariff, capacity factor, and financing rate. The Halmahera offshore area cannot be declared suitable based only on water depth and available space; seismic, volcanic, tsunami, metocean, geotechnical, radiological dispersion, navigation, physical security, and emergency preparedness assessments are required. FNPP may be retained as a long-term option, but an investment decision requires grid-compatible unit sizing, staged site investigation, integrated nuclear-maritime safety design, and a bankable off-take model.

Keywords

• economic analysis
• floating nuclear power plant
• North Maluku
• site safety
• small modular reactor
• Eastern Indonesia
• Energy Feasibility
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Economic Implications
• Energy Security