Antara 30 Dec 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Now is the time for Indonesia to build a nuclear power plant to overcome its electricity supply shortages and boost industrial development, an observer said.
"If Indonesia has no courage to make the great leap, it will always lag behind," intelligence observer Wawan H Purwanto said when presenting a year-end reflection here on Thursday.
He said neighboring Malaysia and Singapore were now preparing to build their nuclear plants.
It was even reported that Singapore would lease an island in Riau province and use it as the location of its nuclear power plant.
"I am afraid that we will become their consumer because we are not yet able to meet our domestic need for electricity," he said.
He said that there were many energy sources other then nuclear such as geothermal, wind and water that could be developed but these sources could not yield power massively.
Their production is less than 1,000 megawatt (mw), while a nuclear power plant could produce 10,000 mw, while in fact our need for electricity at home is only about 3,000 mw.
He said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had recommended that Indonesia met the requirement for the development of nuke plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is always ready to help countries including Indonesia build a nuclear power plant (PLTN), a spokesman said.
"Indonesia should not hesitate in its plan to develop PLTN because the world is working together to help the countries which are willing to build their nuclear power plants," consultant at IAEA nuclear technology development section in Austria, Jupiter S Pane said.
Pane said IAEA has formed a special team, called Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Group (INIG) whose main task was to systematically help developing countries in their plan to build their nuclear power plants.(*)
