The government should manage available energy resources to address power shortages in the country before resorting to nuclear technology, experts say.

Rinaldy Dalimi from the National Energy Council (DEN) said that Indonesia had both fossil fuel, such as coal and natural gas, and renewable energy resources, such as geothermal and ocean energy. He added, however, that most of the nation’s resources were exported.

While Indonesia has a huge supply of natural gas, 75 percent of natural gas produced is exported, leaving thirteen state-owned fertilizer producers confronted with the possibility of shutting down by 2013.

“The lack of energy in Indonesia is not caused by lack of resources. It is because of the government’s improper energy management,” he said during a discussion held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

He said that should Indonesia press ahead with its plan to build nuclear power plants, the country would have to import uranium due to the limited supply of the material.

Iwan Kurniawan, head of management research and development of Bisnis Nusantara Institute, said that Indonesia’s uranium supply could only be used for 25 years,
with uranium mine production having only reached 50 percent efficiency. “Indonesia cannot
build a uranium processing plant because it will violate the safeguard article in the 1978 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Law,” he said.

He explained that the world’s uranium supply could provide for 83.6 years, but with 2.7 percent of growth in electricity consumption, it was estimated that the supply is only enough for 44 years.

Developed countries were seeking to develop a nuclear fusion power plant that was less dangerous than uranium-fueled plants, but the completion process would take some 20 years, he went on. “While waiting for the nuclear fusion power technology, we should develop the renewable energy resource,
because there is a prediction that the cost to produce renewable energy will gradually reach the cost of fossil fuel production in the next 20 years.”

Nengah Sudja, former secretary to Indonesia’s preparation commission on nuclear power plant construction, said that another misconception surrounding nuclear power was that people thought it was cheap.

“To build a nuclear power plant, the government should consider the capital costs, the operation and management costs and the safety costs. One plant needs between five and 20 years for construction and then the operation is only for 25 years. The nuclear power plant is more expensive than other plants,” he said.

Iwan said that the nuclear power remained an expensive energy resource because the compensation fee in the event of a disaster could exceed Rp 4 trillion (US$470 million) the compensation limit mentioned in the 2006 government decision.

Rinaldy said that besides the natural disaster threats, a nuclear power plant in Indonesia would also face threats of terrorist attack.

Despite all anti nuclear statements, Indonesia actually has a law on a medium-term development plan that stipulates that the country should have a nuclear power plant by 2016-2017.

Markus Wauran from Indonesia Nuclear Society (HIMNI) said that the government should refer to the law to make the decision on a nuclear power plant.

“According to that law, Indonesia should have begun building the plant two years ago. There is a fear that the energy crisis will continue and the government should make a decision quickly to prevent that,” he said.

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