27 July 2026
CO26161 | The 2026 Singapore-Indonesia Leaders Retreat: Strengthening the Partnership
SYNOPSIS
The signing of various agreements at the recently concluded Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat highlights the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship. The commitment from both leaders to critical areas of cooperation, from energy and defence to freedom of navigation, is important as we approach 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
COMMENTARY
On 6 July 2026, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto concluded the 2026 Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. This was the second of such bilateral meetings. At the summit, the two governments signed 26 agreements – 18 government-to-government and eight business-to-business – covering the economy, investment, defence, energy, the environment, digital transformation, research and innovation, and human resources.
Several of the newly signed agreements mark new frontiers of bilateral cooperation between the two states. For instance, the MOU on the Exchange of Technical Information and Cooperation on Protection, Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards Matters will be mutually beneficial. It will support Indonesia’s plan to construct a civilian nuclear power plant with an initial capacity of 250 MW, scheduled for completion in 2032, as well as Singapore’s plans to use nuclear energy in the future, as it commences research via the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review.
The new cooperation, including in nuclear regulation and nuclear emergency preparedness and response, would help ensure that Indonesia’s new nuclear power plant is built in line with international safety standards and could open pathways for future electricity trade between the two nations once the proposed plant becomes viable.
Joint Cooperation on Renewable Electricity
The most economically significant agreement was to develop a renewable electricity project together. During the summit, PM Wong announced that Singapore plans to establish an electricity project in Morowali, noting that it could contribute to the ASEAN Power Grid initiative. This marks the most significant renewable energy partnership between Singapore and Indonesia to date.
The Morowali Solar Project, developed at the Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi, is a partnership between Singapore’s Sembcorp, PT Sumber Energi Surya Nusantara (SESNA) and the Indonesian Investment Authority (INA), an Indonesian sovereign wealth fund specialising in infrastructure and green energy investment. It is a joint venture to build a 200 MW solar power plant with an 80-MWh battery storage system, worth US$210 million.
The project is part of a cross-border electricity trade (CBET) agreement between the two nations, first signed at the 2025 Leaders Retreat. The two leaders agreed to accelerate the CBET between the two nations, under which Indonesia agreed to export at least 3.4 GW of low-carbon power to Singapore by 2035. It also appointed Danantara, Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, as the lead implementing agency for the CBET agreement.
Beyond Morowali, Singapore will also invest in electricity plants in the Riau Islands Archipelago, specifically in the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun (BBK) region. This investment will be a boost for this economically strategic region – which has been designated by the Indonesian government as a green industrial zone and will be the centre of Singapore-Indonesia clean electricity cooperation.
It will generate renewed motivation among Singaporean companies to make new investments in renewables and emerging technologies in the BBK region. In turn, this will motivate the Indonesian side to speed up regulatory reforms in the region to lower electricity and other costs that have previously discouraged investors from putting in their investments in the region.
Bilateral Defence and Regional Maritime Security Cooperation
A joint update on defence cooperation between Indonesia’s Minister of Defence, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing, was also presented during the bilateral leaders’ retreat.
At the meeting between the two defence ministers, they discussed efforts to co-develop military training facilities in Baturaja (South Sumatra), Kalimantan, and the Siabu Air Weapons Range. Both ministers agreed that these facilities would provide more opportunities for the SAF and TNI to conduct joint training and exercises. They also discussed ongoing geopolitical developments and emphasised the need for both countries to work closely together on regional defence and security issues.
Maritime security was another focus, as PM Wong and President Prabowo reaffirmed their shared commitment to uphold navigational rights and freedoms in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Prabowo stated that SOMS would “always remain open to all, safe and accessible to anyone who requires access”. This position was clearly demonstrated when Indonesia was among 30 countries that supported the Singapore-led International Maritime Organisation (IMO) resolution on the protection of vital shipping lanes, adopted at the 137th session of the IMO Council on 10 July.
PM Wong also linked the importance of freedom of navigation to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and their implications for global trade. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the joint commitment is an important reassurance to the international community.
Concluding Thoughts
The 2026 Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat featured new areas of cooperation in critical areas such as clean electric power, nuclear safety regulation, and work towards the realisation of the ASEAN Power Grid. It reaffirmed both leaders’ commitment to universal access and freedom of navigation in SOMS. Taken together with the long-standing defence and security cooperation, this demonstrates the depth of the bilateral relationship. The agreements on renewable energy and nuclear safety are innovative and important. To implement these agreements, further commitments from both sides will be necessary.
The Leader’s Retreat is an effective mechanism to sustain the “special relationship” between the two countries. In PM Wong’s words, the agreements finalised at this year’s retreat affirm that Singapore and Indonesia are “trusted partners with a shared stake in each other’s success.”
The successful conclusion of a second retreat between PM Wong and President Prabowo marks a good start for RI-SG relations under both leaders, providing a clear sense of continuity on both sides. This will be an important foundation for bilateral cooperation as both countries approach six decades of diplomatic relations in 2027.
About the Authors
Alexander R. Arifianto is Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Indonesia Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Nicholas Lim is Senior Fellow at IDSS and was the Singapore Defence Attache to Indonesia from 2019 to 2022.
SYNOPSIS
The signing of various agreements at the recently concluded Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat highlights the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship. The commitment from both leaders to critical areas of cooperation, from energy and defence to freedom of navigation, is important as we approach 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
COMMENTARY
On 6 July 2026, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto concluded the 2026 Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. This was the second of such bilateral meetings. At the summit, the two governments signed 26 agreements – 18 government-to-government and eight business-to-business – covering the economy, investment, defence, energy, the environment, digital transformation, research and innovation, and human resources.
Several of the newly signed agreements mark new frontiers of bilateral cooperation between the two states. For instance, the MOU on the Exchange of Technical Information and Cooperation on Protection, Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards Matters will be mutually beneficial. It will support Indonesia’s plan to construct a civilian nuclear power plant with an initial capacity of 250 MW, scheduled for completion in 2032, as well as Singapore’s plans to use nuclear energy in the future, as it commences research via the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review.
The new cooperation, including in nuclear regulation and nuclear emergency preparedness and response, would help ensure that Indonesia’s new nuclear power plant is built in line with international safety standards and could open pathways for future electricity trade between the two nations once the proposed plant becomes viable.
Joint Cooperation on Renewable Electricity
The most economically significant agreement was to develop a renewable electricity project together. During the summit, PM Wong announced that Singapore plans to establish an electricity project in Morowali, noting that it could contribute to the ASEAN Power Grid initiative. This marks the most significant renewable energy partnership between Singapore and Indonesia to date.
The Morowali Solar Project, developed at the Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi, is a partnership between Singapore’s Sembcorp, PT Sumber Energi Surya Nusantara (SESNA) and the Indonesian Investment Authority (INA), an Indonesian sovereign wealth fund specialising in infrastructure and green energy investment. It is a joint venture to build a 200 MW solar power plant with an 80-MWh battery storage system, worth US$210 million.
The project is part of a cross-border electricity trade (CBET) agreement between the two nations, first signed at the 2025 Leaders Retreat. The two leaders agreed to accelerate the CBET between the two nations, under which Indonesia agreed to export at least 3.4 GW of low-carbon power to Singapore by 2035. It also appointed Danantara, Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, as the lead implementing agency for the CBET agreement.
Beyond Morowali, Singapore will also invest in electricity plants in the Riau Islands Archipelago, specifically in the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun (BBK) region. This investment will be a boost for this economically strategic region – which has been designated by the Indonesian government as a green industrial zone and will be the centre of Singapore-Indonesia clean electricity cooperation.
It will generate renewed motivation among Singaporean companies to make new investments in renewables and emerging technologies in the BBK region. In turn, this will motivate the Indonesian side to speed up regulatory reforms in the region to lower electricity and other costs that have previously discouraged investors from putting in their investments in the region.
Bilateral Defence and Regional Maritime Security Cooperation
A joint update on defence cooperation between Indonesia’s Minister of Defence, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing, was also presented during the bilateral leaders’ retreat.
At the meeting between the two defence ministers, they discussed efforts to co-develop military training facilities in Baturaja (South Sumatra), Kalimantan, and the Siabu Air Weapons Range. Both ministers agreed that these facilities would provide more opportunities for the SAF and TNI to conduct joint training and exercises. They also discussed ongoing geopolitical developments and emphasised the need for both countries to work closely together on regional defence and security issues.
Maritime security was another focus, as PM Wong and President Prabowo reaffirmed their shared commitment to uphold navigational rights and freedoms in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Prabowo stated that SOMS would “always remain open to all, safe and accessible to anyone who requires access”. This position was clearly demonstrated when Indonesia was among 30 countries that supported the Singapore-led International Maritime Organisation (IMO) resolution on the protection of vital shipping lanes, adopted at the 137th session of the IMO Council on 10 July.
PM Wong also linked the importance of freedom of navigation to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and their implications for global trade. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the joint commitment is an important reassurance to the international community.
Concluding Thoughts
The 2026 Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat featured new areas of cooperation in critical areas such as clean electric power, nuclear safety regulation, and work towards the realisation of the ASEAN Power Grid. It reaffirmed both leaders’ commitment to universal access and freedom of navigation in SOMS. Taken together with the long-standing defence and security cooperation, this demonstrates the depth of the bilateral relationship. The agreements on renewable energy and nuclear safety are innovative and important. To implement these agreements, further commitments from both sides will be necessary.
The Leader’s Retreat is an effective mechanism to sustain the “special relationship” between the two countries. In PM Wong’s words, the agreements finalised at this year’s retreat affirm that Singapore and Indonesia are “trusted partners with a shared stake in each other’s success.”
The successful conclusion of a second retreat between PM Wong and President Prabowo marks a good start for RI-SG relations under both leaders, providing a clear sense of continuity on both sides. This will be an important foundation for bilateral cooperation as both countries approach six decades of diplomatic relations in 2027.
About the Authors
Alexander R. Arifianto is Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Indonesia Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Nicholas Lim is Senior Fellow at IDSS and was the Singapore Defence Attache to Indonesia from 2019 to 2022.
