Indonesian government yet to agree on nuke power plant development

Antara 26 Dec 09;

Mataram (ANTARA News) - The government has not yet decided to commence the construction of a nuclear power plant (PLTN), and the project was still in a discourse, a minister said.

Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata made the statement after inaugurating the prototype of a hybrid power plant (PLTH) in East Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday.

"Until today, the government has not yet given its approval to the construction of a nuclear power plant because it is still considering other sources of energy," the minister said.

However, he said, the government was still considering the possibility of developing a nuclear power plant while studying other potential energy sources.

Whether or not Indonesia now needed a nuclear power plant is still being considered, the minister said. "I agree if the government has not yet given a green light to start the the construction of a nuclear plant," he said.

He said that the the government was still giving a priority to the use of coal and geothermal energy as a source of energy in generating electricity.

Besides, the government is also still socializing the use of nuclear energy owing to the fact that Indonesia should have been able to operate commercially a nuclear power plant by 2016.

The target for Indonesia to operate a nuclear power plant in 2016 is contained in Law No. 17/2007 on the National Long Term Development Plan. One of its paragraphs stipulates that in 2016 Indonesia should have been able to operate a nuclear power plant, he said.(*)