REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- While there a question mark still hangs over when Indonesia will start constructing a nuclear power plant, some 75 percent of the country's people have reiterated their support for such a venture.
With a population of around 250 million people, Indonesia has been suffering from a shortage of power, forcing frequent power blackouts in many cities.
In addition, people in a number of remote villages also suffered the problem of power shortage.
Support of the 75 percent of Indonesia's people was obtained via a national poll conducted by Sigma Research that involved 4,000 respondents across the country. The survey was conducted between October and December, 2015.
The most interesting fact that emerged was that 79.4 percent of the people outside Java showed a preference for a nuclear power plant, compared to 72 percent of the people in Java.
Meanwhile, 78.3 percent of urban residents also prefer a nuclear power plant, compared to 72.3 percent of rural population.
"Results of the survey showed that a majority of the Indonesian population was aware of the potential of nuclear energy and how it can help in ensuring a stable electricity supply in Indonesia," head of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan), Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto, stated here over the weekend.
Such support has remained consistent, up from 49.5 percent in 2011, 52.9 percent in 2012, 64.1 percent in 2013, 72 percent in 2014 and 75.3 percent in 2015.
The survey also brought out that people who support the nuclear power plant (PLTN) give the argument that such a plant can produce electric power in huge amount, and will thus help ensure a secure supply and meet the national electricity needs.
In addition, the fact that nuclear power would be cheaper was a major consideration for acceptance of a nuclear power plant.
On the contrary, some people disapproved of the construction of a nuclear power plant in Indonesia, citing the possibility of a nuclear accident and radiation leaks.
The National Nuclear Energy Agency also explained that the public's fear of nuclear radiation has kept blocked the plans to build the country's first nuclear power plant.
An executive of Russian state company Rosatom for Southeast Asia, Arkady Karneev, meanwhile, said that public fear of nuclear disaster has often hampered development of nuclear technology in Southeast Asia.
People reject nuclear technology due to lack of knowledge and the myth of nuclear radiation, Karneev said.
Therefore, what is needed is more education. Also, the benefits of such energy need to be explained fully.
Rosatom has succeeded in convincing people in Vietnam of the benefit of developing nuclear technology, before building a PLTN in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam.
Pending the government's decision about the exact time to build the nuclear power plant, the National Nuclear Energy Agency has so far built three nuclear reactors for research. These are in Serpong in Banten Province, Bandung in West Java, and in Yogyakarta.
"Batan has contributed significantly towards the use of nuclear technology for agriculture and health," said Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister, Muhammad Nasir.
Through the nuclear technology, Batan has successfully preserved a number of vegetables and fruits without any side effects.
Nasir further noted that Indonesia has also passed several regulations on the use of nuclear energy, including Act No. 10 of 1997 and Act No. 17 of 2007, which mandate the development of safe nuclear power technology for the benefit of the people in order to improve their welfare and prosperity.
Act No. 17 of 2007 specifically requires that the demonstration of nuclear power should be initiated during 2015-2019, with specific emphasis on safety factors.
He remarked that this has led Batan to plan and build a 10MW Experimental Power Reactor (EPR) at the Research Center for Science and Technology in Serpong, South Tangerang.
He noted that the EPR will demonstrate Indonesia`s ability to build and safely operate nuclear power stations to meet the economic needs of its society.
The minister expressed the hope that the EPR would be completed on time and become operational in 2019.
In the meantime, Batan's chief, Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto, pointed out that the EPR is currently in the design phase, and the preliminary research will require Rp50 billion of the total funds worth Rp1.8 trillion.
Wisnubroto remarked that the development of the EPR using fourth generation technology from Germany will commence in 2016 and is projected to be completed in 2019.
The Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE), Rida Mulyana, meanwhile, informed that the government will build a nuclear reactor by 2024.
"The fact is that we lack enough electricity. Although we have been using new and renewable sources of energy, there is need for nuclear energy. It is expected that by 2024-2025, we will have a nuclear reactor," Mulyana affirmed on May 8, 2015.
However, Abadi Poernomo, a member of the National Energy Council (DEN), said Indonesia expects to have an operational nuclear power plant (PLTN) by 2030.
Until 2030, the use of fossil energy from coal, gas and oil will still be the dominant sources of energy, Poernomo pointed out.
Having a nuclear power plant is not just a hope but was needed to meet the energy demand in the near future.
It takes some ten years to construct one nuclear reactor. Therefore, the successful establishment of one requires proper preparation, Poernomo explained.
"It means we should not wait till the energy supply declines further. If we wait, we will lose ten more years," he reminded, adding that the government has urged all stakeholders not to avoid discussing the subject.
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.
Among the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, Vietnam has confirmed to construct nuclear power plant (PLTN).
The government of Vietnam said it would cooperate with Russia to build two units of PLTN in the province of Ninh Thuan before 2020.
"Before 2020, Vietnam would build PLTN in the province of Ninh Thuan," Deputy Director of the Management Council of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Energy Project, Nguyen Manh Hung, said.
Nguyen was speaking on the sidelines of a workshop held under the theme of "Public Acceptance of Nuclear Technologies: Sharing Asian Experience" in Phan Rang - Tap Cham, Vietnam on 13 November.
Manh Hung said the project would be financed with a loan from the Russian government to be repaid after the PLTN is in operation for 19 years.
He said the people of Vietnam welcome the project, adding that there was almost no resistance to the plan.
Therefore, through cooperation with the Russian state company Rosatom, Vietnam would be one among many countries that would have already constructed nuclear power plants when Indonesia opts for one.
Above all, Arnold Soetrisnanto, a member of the Energy Technical Commission of the National Research Council, pointed out that development of nuclear energy is growing as a matter of urgency to cope with the crisis.
"Currently, we need nuclear energy. There is no question about that," Arnold said.
Coal-fired power plants could no longer be relied upon to cope with the deficit in power supply in all regions of the country.
"If we rely on coal-fired power plants, we would need around 200 million tons of coal to meet the power requirement of the country," he said.
Soetrisnanto doubted whether coal mining companies could guarantee the supply of 200 million tons of coal per year to feed the country's coal-fired power plants. (Bustanuddin)
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