Nuclear plant to be built in Indonesia

Antara 16 Aug 10;

Pangkalpinang, Babel (ANTARA News) - A nuclear power plant (PLTN) with a capacity to generate 2,600 megawatts of electricity would be built in the province of Bangka Belitung (Babel), a mayor said.

"Based on the result of a survey of the National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan), two districts in Babel, namely West Bangka and South Bangka, will build 2,600-MW nuclear power plants," Pangkalpinang Mayor Zulkarnain Karim said here on Monday.

He said that the survey would still need about three more years to consider number of aspects, including social aspects, making sure that a PLTN plant would not cause adverse effects on the people.

"Nuclear power plants would be able to supply electricity to Java and Sumatra islands through a national transmission network in the eastern coastal areas of Sumatra," he said.(*)

Nuke plants for Bangka island
Straits Times 31 Oct 10;

Jakarta - Indonesia plans to build two nuclear plants on a large island to the south-east of Batam, a Jakarta newspaper has reported.

Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangka-Belitung province to build the plants on Pulau Bangka, Jakarta Globe reported on its website.

Located off Sumatra, the island lies about midway between Singapore and Jakarta - or about an hour away by air.

Mr Hudi Hastowo, chief of the energy agency also known as Batan, signed the agreement on Tuesday, the daily said. He put the cost of building the plants at 54 trillion rupiah (S$7.8 billion).

Mr Herman Agustiawan, a member of Indonesia's National Energy Council, said a 10,000MW plant is expected to be built in west Bangka. The second, an 8,000MW plant, is to be built in south Bangka, he was quoted as saying.

Bangka is chosen partly because it is not located in an earthquake-prone region, he said.

He was quoted as saying that all necessary legal paperwork had been completed, and the plan just needed the go-ahead from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

'As soon as the President says 'go nuclear', we will start to build it,' he said. Construction could begin next year and it will take about 10 years to complete, the Jakarta Globe quoted him as saying.

Indonesia has decided to build nuclear plants to reduce its dependence on coal, oil and gas. An earlier plan for a nuclear plant in Muria in Central Java was rejected. Other possible sites mentioned in the past included Banten in Java and Kalimantan in Borneo.

Mr Arif Fiyanto, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace South-east Asia, said the group would fight plans to build nuclear plants on Bangka.

Vietnam is also building a nuclear power plant, with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expected to sign a deal today to help build it. Malaysia has plans to build a nuclear plant too and Singapore has started a feasibility study.