T

he government has been urged to immediately realize its plan to build the country's first-ever nuclear power plant, a construction that has been delayed due to rejection from the community.

Roy Alex Sparinga, from the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), said Monday that executing the plan was necessary to help Indonesia meet its growing demand for electricity.

He suggested that the government intensify efforts to improve the public's acceptance of the nuke plant, including by informing them about the "safety" and "benefits" of nuclear technology.

"Some measures that the government can continue and intensify are improving communication, consulting and spreading information about the safety and benefits of nuclear energy to the public," Roy said in his speech during the briefing with Lemhanas alumni by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace.

He added the government could plan alternative locations for the nuclear plant's site as the locals living at the planned construction site, at Muria Peninsula in Central Java, continued to strongly reject the plan.

"To boost the regions' acceptance of the site for the nuke plant, the government can develop an incentive system," Roy said.

"And to ensure the public is confident about safety standards, the technology used should comply with quality and facility standards of state-of-the-art nuke technology applied by developed countries already using nuke plants, such as France, Japan and South Korea."

In response to the suggestion, Yudhoyono agreed that further discussions with the public, including with members of the parliament and civil society groups, were needed to increase people's acceptance of the nuke plant's construction.

He said the construction should only begin when everyone was accepting of the idea.

"When we talk about nuclear energy, we need to think clearly and rationally, and we need solid reasoning behind the construction, such as the benefits the nuke plant may have for Indonesia in the future.

"We need to think about the pros and cons, people's perceptions, if its safe and the financing and location.

"If all aspects are considered and the concept is the only reasonable solution, then building the nuke plant should be deemed positive," Yudhoyono said.

He added, however, that constructing a nuke plant should not be done in a haste.

Yudhoyono cited the need to wait for up to 10 years to launch the construction.

Yudhoyono's view, however, is not in line with his subordinate.

Just last week, State Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata, who is a former researcher at the National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan), said that blueprints for the plant were in progress and that its construction would begin next year.