SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DEVELOPMENT ON THE RISE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 22 (Antara) -- Several years ago, local people, non-governmental organizations, and environmentalists were opposed to a government plan to build a nuclear power plant (PLTN) at the foot of Mount Muria in the northeastern coast of Central Java.          This public opposition forced the government to look at other places, including Bangka Belitung.          Interestingly, support for the development of a PLTN has been increasing recently, with the country falling short of electricity supply.          According to the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), most Indonesians agreed to the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.          "BATAN carried out a survey, the results of which showed that 70 percent of the people want to utilize the country's nuclear energy potential for national development," the chief of the agency, Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto, said in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, on Thursday.      The most recent support was voiced on Saturday by a number of youths of the Nuclear Youth Communities (Kommun).          "We support the government's plan to develop PLTNs soon," Chairman of the Kommun Said Mobbarak stated at a press conference on the occasion of a Nuclear Youth Summit (NYS) in Jakarta on Saturday.

GOVT TO GO AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 30 (Antara) - The government has reiterated its determination to build a nuclear power plant (PLTN) to provide inexpensive electricity for its fast growing population, now reaching about 250 million people.          Yet, it is still undecided where the plant will be located, after the initial plan to build in the Muria Peninsula, Central Java, was scrapped following persistent opposition from local residents, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists.          Over the years, groups have expressed opposition to the plan. The government was advised to develop, instead, environmentally friendly sources for power, such as water, solar energy and harnessing sea currents.          Indonesian Research and Technology Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said on Friday that the government is resolved to continue its plan to build a nuclear power plant, arguing that over 76 percent of the people have agreed to the development of a PLTN.          "We will build a nuclear reactor for generating power," Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said. However, the location of the nuclear power plant, which will have a capacity of approximately 30 MW, has not yet been decided.

BABEL MAY HOST RI'S FIRST NUKE POWER PLANTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 6 (ANTARA) - Forced by strong opposition from the local population, the government has decided to postpone building a  nuclear power plant in the Muria Peninsula in Central Java and is now focusing its attention on  Bangka Belitung (Babel)  province , off Sumatra's east coast, as the future site of such an electricity generating facility.           Studies are now in progress to build two nuclear power plants in Babel with a combined capacity of 10,600 Megawatts. Nuclear power plants are expected to supply and meet 40 percent of the need for electricity in Sumatra, Java and Bali.          "The nuclear power plants are expected to  become operational by 2025 or 2030 and hopefully they will  meet 40 percent of the electricity need in Sumatra, Java and Bali," Governor of Bangka Belitung  province Ekon Maulana Ali.           According to plan, the government will build two units of nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of 10,600 MW. One will be built in West Bangka district with a capacity of 10,000 MW and another one in Permis, South Bangka,  with a capacity of 600 MW.          "The central government hopes that by 2013-2015  the preparatory and planning  stages would have been completed. If the site test results show that it is feasible and appropriate for a nuclear power plnat construction then the government would continue the project," he said.           However, the governor was sure that the project would go on.  "The  plan to build nuclear plants in South and West Bangka to generate electricity would be implemented," he said.           He said  the nuclear power plant construction plan was a central government policy which had been included in its master plan  designed to accelerate and expand development.           He said that the government  intended to develop a nuclear power plant as another electricity source to meet its national need for power supplies amid depleting oil and gas reserves. Fuel reserves from fossil such as coal, oil and gas were now depleting because they were not only used at home but also exported in large volumes.          "Hydro power sources are also declining because of whether anomalies and environmental damage," he said.           Therefore, alternative energy, nuclear in particular needs to be develop to meet the high need for electricity, yet he admitted that the construction of a nuke plant would take a long time as the government was now still in the process of surveying it and carrying out site test in Babel.           He said that for the construction of one unit with a capacity of one gigawatt, a fund of Rp35 trillion was needed. Babel was planning to construct two units which would be located in Muntok (West Bangka) and Permis (South Banka).          "With the need for about Rp70 trillion, the government should not be worried because there were many foreign investors who were interested in their construction," the governor said.          The government has earlier planned to develop a nuclear power plant in the Muria Peninsula, Jepara district, Central Java, to increase power supply in the country.          However, strong opposition from local people, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists have caused the government to delay the project and put it as a last resort in its efforts to build power generators and to increase the country's power capacity.          The opposition was raised as local people were of the view that a nuclear plant would pose more danger than merits     The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) data show that nuclear waste radiation, if leaked,  would last for 24 thousand years. Therefore, Sunaryo, a nuclear turbine expert who graduated from a University in Russia, once said that nuclear wastes needed a special handling for about 24 thousand years to prevent them from creating environment problems.          After all,  the  atomic plant in Japan gave a lesson when it was recently  knocked out   by an earthquake-triggered tsunami and had a series of explosions which caused a radiation leakage into the air.          "Indonesia needs to learn from the Fukushima nuclear power plant incident and find the safest site for its future nuclear power plant," Prof Dr Herliyani Suharto, head of the International Network Program of the Indonesia Renewable Energy Community (METI) said recently.          She said  the incident must become a challenge for Indonesia  to find the safest place for the construction of a nuclear plant.          Head of National Nuclear Power Agency (Batan) Hudi Hastowo said Babel was the most suitable for the construction of a nuclear plant in Indonesia. The Batan chairman said that his agency would continue to apply various results of its nuclear scientific research  in the  locations  that have been agreed  by the  Babel regional government.          Hudi said that Bangka Belitung was the most suitable place for the development of a nuclear power plant. It is conducive for the construction of a nuclear plant seeing from the aspect of its geological structure reinforced with hard granite rocks and strong electricity absorption capacity that could transmit power to Sumatra and Java.          Besides it is free from earthquake prone areas, Bable is also  from a tsunami threat owing to the fact that the depth of its sea area   is only about 30 meter, he said.          Apart from that, opposition to the development of a nuclear plant in Babel is not as strong as that in the Muria peninsula.          A survey conducted by  Batan  revealed that 35 percent of respondents in  Babel supported a nuclear power plant . "The survey also showed that 30 percent of the respondents rejected the plan while 30 percent others have yet to make their choices,"   Hudi Hastowo said.           He said that the minor scale survey was conducted  in the May-June 2011 period involving 500 respondents from various segments of the people in West Bangka and South Bangka. "Support will increase if the government continues to popularize it," he added.***5*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/19:53/) 06-07-2011 19:49:2

RI TO OPERATE NUKE PLANT IN 2016

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 23 (ANTARA) - Despite opposition from several quarters, the government is seemingly resolved to continue its plan to build a nuclear power plant as a cheap power supply resource for the people.

        "We are now popularizing the nuclear power development plan. We hope we would have already operated a nuclear power plant commercially in 2016," Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman said on Thursday.

        The government has earlier planned to develop a nuclear power plant in the Muria Peninsula, Jepara district, Central Java, to increase power supply in the country.

        Before starting to build a nuclear power reactor, the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) has carried out 30 years of feasibility studies with consultants from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1976, from Italy in 1984, from BECHTEL (US) in 1984 and from the United States and Japan in 1994.

        However, strong opposition from local people, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists have caused the government to delay the project and put it as a last resort in its efforts to build power generators and to increase the country's power capacity.

        Not long ago, tens of non-governmental and mass organizations from Jepara, Kudus and Pati districts grouped in the Muria Nature Conservation Network (Jala Muria), called on the government to stop its nuke plant and replace it with a renewable energy project.

        "The government should give priority to the development of renewable energy as Indonesia is rich in such a resource," chairman of Jala Muria, Lilo Sunaryo said.

        He said that the people of Jepara and other districts in the vicinity rejected the government plan to build a nuclear power plant in Muria peninsula because the risk it would create was far bigger than the benefit it would give to the people.

        According to Winarno Thohir, chairman of the Reliable Fishermen Association chairman (KTNA), his organization has since in the past voiced its disagreement to the nuclear project because the peninsula is a fertile area for agriculture.

        Jala Muria chairman, Sunaryo said that his network had been opposed to the nuclear plant since three years ago. "From the technological aspect, a nuclear power plant still has weaknesses even though now it has used a new generation technology which is claimed to be very safe," Sunaryo said.

        That's why, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his personal disagreement to the development of a nuclear power plant in Muria peninsula during his campaign activities in Central Java recently, various quarters welcomed it positively.

        The president's statement prompted various quarters to raise a positive response. "The head of state's remarks showed the government's wisdom with regard to discourse among the public over the nuclear issue," Winarno Thohir said at that time.

        Over the past few years, oppositions to the plan have been expressed by local people, organizations and environmentalists. The government is advised to develop instead alternative environment friendly sources such as water, solar energy and sea current.

        The IAEA data show that nuclear waste radiation would last for 24 thousand years. Therefore, Sunaryo, a nuclear turbine expert who graduated from a University in Russia, said that nuclear wastes needed a special handling for about 24 thousand years to prevent them from creating environment problems.

        The peril of a nuclear incident is the main reason behind the people's opposition. The explosion of Chernobyl's nuclear reactor in Russia in 1986 and the leakage at Mihama's nuclear reactor in Japan in 2004 are still fresh in their minds. In Chernobyl, ten years after the leakage, thousands of people died of exposure to discharged radioactive material.

        Yet, Minister Kadiman's statement on Thursday indicated that the government's plan will continue. He said that the government's target to operate a nuclear power plant in 2016 was in line with the law.

        He said that Law No. 17 / 2007 on the Long Term National Development stipulated in one of its paragraphs that Indonesia should have operated a nuclear power plant in 2016. "This means that politically we have to agree the development soon. We have found a good location in Jepara," he said

        He said that the government needed a long time to plan the development of a nuclear power plant. At least it will need about eight years to prepare it, beginning from deciding the location until the commercial operation. "If it is sped up, the shortest time needed for the plan is six years," he said.

        The minister admitted that there was a social problem with the plan to develop a nuclear power reactor. The political aspect of the plan is the hardest part that had to be handled because it is different from a mathematical calculation.

        Besides, the minister said, the social issue should also be handled with wisdom, much more there was a strong resistance. "It is impossible for us to force our will. The government even should not force its will when there is strong resistance," he said.

        "At least the government should listen to what the people were suggesting. If the plan to develop the nuclear plant in Jepara meets opposition, we have to find another location," Kadiman said.***2*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/A/S012) (T.A014/A/A014/A/S012) 23-07-2009 19:40:54

INDONESIA STILL SEES NUKE POWER PLANT AS LAST OPTION

By Andi Abdusslam


        Jakarta, April 7 (ANTRA) - The Indonesian plan to develop a nuclear power plant in the Muria Peninsula, Jepara regency, Central Java, to increase power supply in the country, seems to remain a plan only, though the government has carried out feasibility studies for over three decades.

        Strong opposition from the local people, non-governmental organizations and environmentalists have caused the government to delay the project and put it as a last resort in increasing power supply.

        After all, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his campaign in Central Java on Sunday expressed his personal disagreement to the nuclear power plant development in Muria peninsula.

        The president's statement prompted various quarters to a positive response. "The head of state's remarks showed the government's wisdom with regard to discourse among the public over the nuclear issue," Winarno Thohir, Reliable Fishermen Association chairman (KTNA) said here on Tuesday.

        Over the past few years, oppositions to the plan have been expressed by local people, organizations and environmentalists. The government is advised to develop instead alternative environment friendly sources such as water, solar energy and sea current.

        Recently, tens of non-governmental and mass organizations from Jepara, Kudus and Pati districts grouped in the Muria Nature Conservation Network (Jala Muria), called on the government to stop its nuke plan and replace it with a renewable energy project.

        "The government should give priority to the development of renewable energy as Indonesia is rich in such a resource," chairman of Jala Muria, Lilo Sunaryo said recently.

        He said that the people of Jepara and other districts in the vicinity rejected the government plan to build a nuclear power plant in Muria peninsula because the risk it would create was far bigger then the benefit it would give to the people.

        According to Winarno Thohir, KTNA has since in the past voiced its disagreement to the nuclear project because the peninsula is a fertile area for agriculture.

        Jala Muria chairman, Sunaryo said on Tuesday that his network had been opposed to the nuclear plan since three years ago. "From the technological aspect, a nuclear power plant still has weaknesses even though now it has used a new generation technology which is claimed to be very safe," Sunaryo said.

        The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) data show that nuclear waste radiation would last for 24 thousand years. Therefore, Sunaryo, a nuclear turbine expert who graduated from a University in Russia, said that nuclear wastes needed a special handling for about 24 thousand years to prevent them from creating environment problems.

        The peril of a nuclear incident is the main reason behind the people's opposition. The explosion of Chernobyl's nuclear reactor in Russia in 1986 and the leakage at Mihama's nuclear reactor in Japan in 2004 are still fresh in their minds. In Chernobyl, ten years after the leakage, thousands of people died of exposure to discharged radioactive material.

        Indonesia's experience --through its National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) which has three nuclear reactors in Yoyakarta, Bandung and Serpong-- to operate nuclear reactors has not erased people's doubts.

        Before starting to build a nuclear power reactor, BATAN has carried out 30 years of feasibility studies with consultants from the IAEA in 1976, from Italy in 1984, from BECHTEL (US) in 1984 and from the United State and Japan in 1994.

        Sunaryo said the three reactors were of small scale with temperatures ranging between 100 and 150 degrees Celsius. They were normal types of reactors designed purely for research.

        A nuclear power reactor needs 2.5 million litters of water per minute to be used as a coolant for the temperature in the plant which could reach between 400 Celsius degrees to 600 Celsius degrees.

        If it leaks, the water that gushes out can be as hot as 3,000 degrees Celsius which is able to melt iron. This is apart from the radioactive material it would discharge to the environment.

        In response to the people's opposition, Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said sometime ago the government's plan to set up a nuclear power plant was not yet final. It appreciated the people's objections to its plan.

        He said his office was keeping a close watch on what was being done to implement the plan, including the tackling of the project's environmental aspects which normally had to be done by an analysis and assessment of the project's possible impact on the local environment.

        Last Sunday's statement by President Yudhoyono was therefore welcomed by the people of Jepara and environmental activists. The 'Jurnal Nasional' daily in its edition on Monday quoted the president as saying that nuclear energy would become the last option in the development of power plant in the country.

        Yudhoyono made the statement when he answered a question raised by Ermawati, a woman from Jepara. Ermawati who was concerned over the government plan to develop a nuclear power plant in Muria peninsula raised the question during a question and answer session when the president in his capacity as chairman of the Democrat Party's board of patrons held a legislative election campaign in Magelang, Central Java, on Sunday.

        "Any country can build a nuclear power plant but Indonesia will prioritize the development of electricity from non-nuclear sources," Yudhoyono said.

        Therefore, in his capacity as the chairman of the board of patrons of the Democrats Party, he expressed his disagreement to the development of a nuclear power plant in Muria peninsula.

        "We have not made any decision to build a nuclear power plant project in the Muria area and I do not agree if a nuclear plant is all of a sudden built there" he said. ***3*** (T.A014/H-NG/A/H-YH) (T.A014/A/A014/A/H-YH) 07-04-2009 22:52:28