INDONESIA VIEWED AS READY FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT by Fardah

    Jakarta, Aug 15, 2015 (Antara) -  Having a population of some 250 million, Indonesia has always suffered shortages of power, forcing many cities to experience frequent power blackouts, while some remote villages still have no electricity.

         Of the country's 82,190 villages, 12,659 villages, or 15.40 percent of the total number, have no electricity, according to Suryamin, head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), as of February 2015.

          Since the quantity of fossil fuel is limited, Indonesia has long considered using nuclear energy to produce electricity.

         Indonesia expects to have an operational nuclear power plant (PLTN) by 2030, according to Abadi Poernomo, a member of the National Energy Council (DEN). Until 2030, the use of fossil energy from coal, gas, and oil will still be the dominant sources of energy.  

   However, thorough preparations for operating a nuclear power pant were begun many years ago.  In fact, the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) has three nuclear reactors, located in Serpong, Bandung, and Yogyakarta, for use in research.

         To promote security and safety of the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes, BATAN Head Djarot S. Wisnubroto inaugurated the Center for Security Culture and Assessment (CSCA) in Serpong, Banten Province on Sept. 29, 2014.

        In compliance with existing international regulations, a mission of the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) was in Indonesia from August 2 to 14 to analyze and identify all aspects of the use of nuclear energy in the country.

          Indonesia's human resources are ready to operate a nuclear power plant, Carl-Magnus Larsson, team leader of the IRRS Mission comprising 20 experts from 15 countries, said.   
   However, Larsson pointed out that the nuclear power plant, which would take at least 10 years to construct, will then be connected to the Java-Madura-Bali power grid.

        "Therefore, the preparations must begin immediately," Larsson affirmed.

         With regard to the number of rejections to the plan to develop a nuclear power plant, Larsson insisted that this problem could be overcome by maintaining a positive outlook and adhering to a clear political strategy.

        "The most important aspect among all is transparency," Larsson emphasized.

         IRRS has suggested that Indonesia develop a national policy and strategy for nuclear safety.

        "We offered a number of suggestions and recommendations. One of them is the need for the government to develop a national policy and strategy for nuclear safety, supported by a national action plan," Larsson told the press on August 14, 2015.

        Another recommendation made was that the government and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency(Bapeten) should make sure that the national regulation on nuclear security is in accordance with the latest security regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

        The Bapeten must ensure that it has ample human resources and funds to implement the obligations of the regulations.

        "The government should also coordinate with the Bapeten and other relevant institutions to carry out the supervisory functions," Larsson added.

         "In addition to holding interviews with the Bapeten, we visited a number of government institutions and an experimental power reactor in Serpong, as well," he stated.    
     However, the visits were neither inspections nor audits as the mission only offered suggestions and recommendations, Larsson remarked.

          Moreover, Head of the Bapeten Jazi Eko Istiyanto admitted that his office needed to learn from other countries about nuclear supervision.

          "Although we do not have a nuclear power plant currently, we must keep up with the latest developments in nuclear sciences," he observed.

          In nuclear supervision, the county does not have to learn from its own mistakes alone but can learn from those made by other countries, as well, Istiyanto noted.      
    He admitted that it is difficult to start the construction of nuclear power plants if they have to wait for 100 percent public approval.

         "The results of the surveys conducted by independent institutions showed that public acceptance for the development of nuclear power plants has reached 72 percent, and I think why do we not just proceed? If we wait for 100 percent approval, our uranium reserves might just run out by that time," Jazi added.

        In the meantime, Director of Radiation, Transportation and Waste Safety of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Pil-Soo Hahn, said that overall a nuclear power plant is in fact more secure than other power plants.

        "Each power plants has its risks, but I can say that a nuclear power plant could reduce the risk to one in 100,000 possibilities, as long as we follow the safety regulations," Hahn said in the press conference.

        Other power plants such as steam power plants have serious environmental impact, he explained.

         In the process of burning coal, in addition to generating heat it also produces pollutants that contaminate the environment and destroy the ozone layer.

         A steam power plant also causes damage to marine life and beaches which are close to the area of the plant.

         "The Indonesian human resources have been able to manage nuclear power plants. We have reviewed them," Hahn said.

         Some developed countries are competing with each other to build nuclear power plant despite having a lot of oil and gas resources, Vice Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Nuclear Society (HIMNI), Markus Wauran said earlier.

          "The developed countries are competing to make nuclear power plants, while in Indonesia it is still in debate," he said.

          The United States has 100 nuclear power plants, and is now building five more nuclear power plant units. Russia currently has 33 nuclear power plants, and is building 11 new plants.

          "China also has 27 units of nuclear power plants, and is building 23 more," Wauran noted.

          The diversification of energy carried out by the developed countries was aimed at not being dependent on a single energy source, according to him.

          A nuclear power plant can save energy up to 100 times as  compared to a coal-fired power plant. ***4***
(f001/INE/o001)

( 15-08-2015 13:50:50