Pertamina NRE - Pupuk Kaltim Sign Cooperation for Thorium-Based Green Ammonia Study

Denmark, May 22, 2023 – Pertamina New & Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE) demonstrates its commitment to clean energy development in Indonesia. Through a memorandum of understanding signing, Pertamina NRE collaborates with Pupuk Kaltim to develop thorium-powered green ammonia. The signing took place on Friday, May 19, at the TOPSOE Lyngby Headquarters in Demark.

The signing was conducted by the Chief Executive Officer of Pertamina NRE, Dannif Danusaputro, and Rahmad Pribadi, the President Director of Pupuk Kaltim. The Indonesian embassy in Denmark also witnessed the signing. This agreement involves other strategic industry players, including Copenhagen Atomics, Topsoe, Alfa Laval Copenhagen, and Aalborg CSP.

These six companies agreed to collaborate on a study related to green ammonia development using small modular reactors (SMR) powered by thorium as the raw material in Bontang, East Kalimantan.

"Green ammonia is one of Pertamina NRE's future businesses. We are developing pilot projects for green hydrogen and green ammonia in North Sulawesi. We are enthusiastic about this collaboration and believe it will create significant value, particularly in energy transition and decarbonization efforts," expressed Dannif.

With this collaboration, Pupuk Kaltim and Pertamina NRE aim to produce green ammonia that can be utilized by 45 million people in Indonesia. Furthermore, green energy utilization has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 1.7 million tons of CO2 per year.

"Pupuk Kaltim views this joint study as an important step towards achieving our sustainability goals. We are honored to work with industry leaders to promote sustainable practices and contribute to a greener planet," explained Rahmad on the same occasion.

Rahmad added that this initiative is part of Pupuk Kaltim's commitment in innovation to provide environmentally friendly agricultural products.

Thorium is a new and renewable energy source and a nuclear fuel alternative to uranium. According to information from the batan.go.id official website, Indonesia has a potential thorium content of 210,000 to 270,000 tons stored in Bangka, West Kalimantan, and West Sulawesi. This potential presents a significant opportunity for Indonesia to develop and utilize it.

"This thorium-based green ammonia project will be the first initiative in Indonesia to harness nuclear energy," Dannif added.

Through this collaboration, Pertamina NRE further reinforces its position as the spearhead of the Pertamina Group and a strategic partner to the government in Indonesia's energy transition to achieve Indonesia's net-zero emission target by 2060. Pertamina NRE is committed to conducting sustainable business by implementing ESG aspects and following best practices while continuously focusing on developing new renewable energy.**