Govt not yet ready to go nuclear: VP

JAKARTA: Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said the government hasno plans to start work on the controversial nuclear power plant in Mount Muria in Jepara, Central Java.

""It is only an idea to have a nuclear plant in the future. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not issued a permit on the project,"" Kalla said in a teleconference to celebrate the Golkar Party's 43rd anniversary on Saturday.

He made the comment after Bambang Sudono, chairman of Golkar's Central Java provincial chapter, urged the government to drop the plan.

""The government will seek first approval from the House of Representatives before constructing the power plant,"" Kalla, who is also the vice president, said.

Kalla said that the government would still prefer to develop alternative forms of energy to meet future local demand.

Residents living near Jepara have repeatedly urged the government to abandon the idea, saying it could pose risks to their livelihoods.

The government's blueprint for the development of nuclear energy says that a power plant will be put out to tender next year. Construction is expected to start in 2010 and the plant is scheduled to come onstream in 2016. --JP