Indonesia, Aug. 20 -- Nuclear energy has the potential to become a "dark horse" in accelerating Indonesia's decarbonization efforts and achieving its net-zero emissions target, the National Energy Council (DEN) said on Thursday.

Speaking at an outreach event on the National Energy Policy at the University of Mataram, DEN member Sripeni Inten Cahyani highlighted that nuclear power is no longer viewed as a last resort in Indonesia's energy planning.

"Previously, nuclear energy was the last option. Now, it is a dark horse that can accelerate the achievement of net-zero emissions," Sripeni told participants in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

She noted that several neighboring ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, ...