Jakarta Globe 2 Jul 10;
The National Nuclear Power Agency has conceded defeat in its controversial attempts to construct a nuclear power plant on the Muria Peninsula in Central Java by 2016, saying opposition from locals has forced them to begin searching for another location.
“It will take two to three years to find another suitable location, Hudi Hastowo, head of the agency, also know as Batan, said in Jakarta on Friday. “So the execution of the plan will undergo a delay, we cannot yet have a nuclear power plant by 2016,” he said.
He said that under Law No. 17/2007 on the state’s Medium-Term Development Plan, a nuclear power plant must come on line between 2014 and 2019.
He said a number of provincial administrations in the country had offered their respective provinces but any final decision would require meticulous and painstaking studies.
Among the provincial administrations concerned were those of Bangka Belitung, Banten, Gorontalo and West, South and East Kalimantan.
He indicated that Bangka Belitung appeared to be the most favorable location.
Antara/JG
Nation to Miss Nuclear Reactor Goal After C. Java Residents Pull the Plug
Jakarta Globe 2 Jul 10;
The government won’t reach its target of completing a nuclear power plant by 2016 because of opposition from residents of the proposed location in Central Java, a senior official said.
Because of the objections of the people of Jepara district on the Muria Peninsula, it was necessary to find another location for the reactor and more time for implementation would be needed, said Hudi Hastowo, head of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan).
“It will take two to three years to find another suitable location. So the execution of the plan will undergo a delay. We will not have a nuclear power plant by 2016,” Hudi said.
Batan is scouting other spots to host the reactor, Hadi said, pointing out that Law No. 17 of 2007 in the state’s Medium-Term Development Plan mandates that a nuclear power plant must be in operation in the 2014-19 period.
He said a number of provincial administrations had requested that a nuclear plant be built in their jurisdictions, but whether they really had a location suitable or safe enough for such a facility was still being determined by meticulous and painstaking studies.
Among the provincial administrations expressing interest were those of Bangka-Belitung, Banten, Gorontalo, and West, South and East Kalimantan.
One province where soil conditions had already been found to be more favorable than in Jepara district was Bangka-Belitung.
“From the geo-seismic point of view, Bangka-Belitung’s soil is better than Jepara because it has a granite base that gives the soil a more stable structure, and this would mean building the plant in Bangka-Belitung would be less costly,” Hadi said.
To be feasible, Indonesia’s first nuclear plant would have to lie close to the most populous part of the country, which is the islands of Java and Bali.
Bangka-Belitung is off Sumatra’s east coast but Hudi said this was not a problem, as the Java-Bali power grid would in the near future be linked up with the transmission network in Sumatra, so power produced by the nuclear plant could also be distributed in Java and Bali.
Kalimantan is too distant from Java and Bali, and there are no plans to connect power-transmission networks there with those in Java, he said.
Antara
Setback for Jakarta's nuclear plans
Straits Times 3 Jul 10;
JAKARTA: Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency has conceded defeat in its controversial attempts to build a nuclear power plant in Central Java, following opposition from the local population.
The government is now looking for an alternative location to the Muria peninsula site proposed earlier, Antara news agency reported yesterday.
'It will take two to three years to find another suitable location,' Mr Hudi Hastowo, the head of the agency, said in Jakarta. 'So the execution of the plan will undergo a delay; we cannot yet have a nuclear power plant by 2016.'
Indonesia has decided to build nuclear plants to reduce dependence on coal and gas, but has not yet decided where to build them. Officials had indicated that one possible site was in Muria, near a dormant volcano. Other possible sites mentioned in the past include Banten in Java, Bangka Belitung in Sumatra, and Kalimantan in Borneo.
Proponents of the plan say having nuclear plants will help the country overcome current electricity shortages, particularly in the Java-Bali grid. But there are also concerns about building a nuclear plant on densely populated Java.
Mr Hastowo said yesterday that under the country's Medium-Term Development Plan, a nuclear power plant must be ready between 2014 and 2019, Antara reported. He said a number of provincial administrations have offered their provinces, but a final decision would require meticulous study. He indicated that Bangka Belitung appeared to be the most favourable location.
