Accident measures needed for nuclear plant: Observer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It would be irresponsible for the government to
\nbuild a nuclear power plant without having measures in place to
\ncope with accidents, a renowned intellectual said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Y.B. Mangunwijaya, a Catholic priest better known as Romo
\n(Father) Mangun, said even Germany -- a country with very
\nadvanced nuclear technology -- had yet to formulate a solution on
\nhow to overcome a nuclear power plant catastrophe.<\/p>\n
Romo Mangun said it was outdated to talk about only setting up
\na safe nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n
He said the question of whether a nuclear power plant could be
\nset up to operate safely was seen as the central issue more than
\nfour decades ago.<\/p>\n
"The core issues today are what to do if a nuclear accident
\nhappens and what to do with the nuclear waste," Romo Mangun told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"It would be very irresponsible of us to build a nuclear power
\nplant without having measures in place should an accident
\nhappen," he said.<\/p>\n
Romo Mangun said the construction of nuclear power plants had
\nbeen banned by Germany's parliament.<\/p>\n
"Owners of nuclear plants built before the ban are required to
\ncome up with suggestions on how to deal with a nuclear
\ncatastrophe, and how to treat their nuclear waste."<\/p>\n
Developed countries could easily dump their nuclear waste in
\ndeveloping countries, but developing countries would not know
\nwhere to dump their nuclear waste, he said.<\/p>\n
Asked if local experts had prepared adequately for nuclear
\npower technology, Romo Mangun said: "Even in an advanced country
\nlike Japan a nuclear power plant can leak."<\/p>\n
He was referring to Japan's Monju reactor, which leaked up to
\nthree tons of sodium from its cooling system two years ago.<\/p>\n
"Here in Indonesia, we should all be objective and
\nintrospective. It is very much easier to build a nuclear plant
\nthan to shut it down and treat its waste," he said.<\/p>\n
Iwan Kurniawan, an expert in experimental nuclear technology,
\nsaid yesterday that there was still no way to treat a leaking
\nnuclear reactor.<\/p>\n
He agreed with Romo Mangun that the absence of any ideas on
\nhow to shut down a leaking nuclear power plant should become the
\ncentral issue.<\/p>\n
Iwan said the minor leakage of the Monju reactor "could not be
\ncontained just like that". The Japanese authorities could do
\nnothing about it apart from "just shut it down", he said.<\/p>\n
The Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in 1986, left the
\nauthorities helpless. They could do nothing but "seal the leaked
\nreactor under skeletons of concrete".<\/p>\n
Iwan agreed with Romo Mangun that it was irresponsible to have
\na nuclear power plant without first knowing how to cope with an
\naccident.<\/p>\n
"By buying all the nuclear technology from the supplying
\ncountry, we will have everything coming to us in one package
\nwithout having control over it," he said.<\/p>\n
With the country lacking the required skills to operate the
\nplant, the suppliers would simply provide training to operate the
\nplant. However, the main operation of the plant would be in the
\nhands of foreign experts. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/accident-measures-needed-for-nuclear-plant-observer-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}