Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 03/19/2010 10:58 AM
Indonesia’s plan to establish nuclear power plants remains unclear due to government indecision over who should operate them, says the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan).
The Batan, a focal point for preparing power plants in Indonesia, admitted the absence of a definitive decision on operators had hampered discussions on the plants.
“No decision has been made on which organization will be responsible for owning and operating nuclear power plants,” Batan chairman, Hadi Hastowo, told a seminar on the prospects of nuclear electricity in Indonesia on Thursday.
The government has made the Batan in charge of the development and preparation of nuclear energy, while the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapiten) has been named the regulatory body.
Hadi said that a number of private companies had expressed interest in developing nuclear plants in Indonesia.
The government has outlined three phases in preparing nuclear plants in the country.
So far, the government has only completed the first phase, which includes assessing infrastructure and policies needed for the projects.
“We cannot move into the second phase of inviting bidders unless there regulations for operators are in place,” he said.
The government is yet to decide whether it will allow foreign ownership of the plants.
Indonesia first signaled willingness for nuclear power with the passing of the 1997 Nuclear Energy Law. A 2006 presidential regulation says that starting in 2025, nuclear energy should represent 2 percent of national energy.
The government has planned to set up four nuclear power plants with a capacity of 400 megawatts.
Authorities have long argued that nuclear plants are needed to tackle expected energy shortages as the country’s fossil fuels continue to decrease.
However, a coalition of activists, including Greenpeace Indonesia, the Anti-Nuclear Society (Manusia) and the Civil Society Forum (CSF) have rejected the proposal, saying the projects are too risky in a country that lacks the technology to treat hazardous waste.
Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata said that nuclear energy could minimize the country’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels and help tackle global warming.
“Nuclear power is an important potential source of energy,” he told the seminar.
He argued that at least 31 countries, both in the developed and developing world, used nuclear plants to supply energy.
Neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, said Suharna, already have plans to build nuclear power plants.
“Countries in the Middle East, in which the bulk of fossil fuels are available, also plan to build nuclear plants in the near future,” he said adding that it would trigger other countries facing diminishing energy resources to do the same.
“However, it is true the development of nuclear plants in Indonesia will not be as easy as in other countries.” He said that many people argued that Indonesia’s rich resources were a good reason not to develop nuclear plants.
