Officials defend plans for nuclear power plant<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Officials yesterday defended the technical and
\neconomic viability of building a nuclear power plant in
\nIndonesia, saying that the government would adopt a \"safety-
\nfirst\" approach.<\/p>\n
Yogo Pratomo, director of electric power planning at the
\nMinistry of Mines and Energy, said the demand for national energy
\nis growing at over 9 percent a year and that nuclear power is
\ninevitable if the country is to meet its increasing energy needs.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a debate on nuclear energy, Yogo said that while
\nIndonesia is endowed with many natural energy resources there is
\na limit as to how much the country can depend on its unrenewable
\nassets.<\/p>\n
That is why, he explained, the country has to diversify energy
\nsources and why nuclear power remains a viable option.<\/p>\n
Yogo contended that nuclear energy at the present stage is a
\nviable alternative and perhaps the country's final option.
\nPreparations for nuclear energy, he said, should not be started
\nonly after the natural resources have been exhausted.<\/p>\n
\"We shouldn't be dependent only on our natural sources, that's
\ndangerous. We have to reduce dependency by diversifying,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government is currently contemplating the possibility of
\nbuilding a nuclear power plant to meet Indonesia's rising need
\nfor electricity. It is waiting to receive the results of a final
\nfeasibility study due to be completed at the end of May.<\/p>\n
If approved, the National Atomic Agency (Batan) will start
\nbuilding a 1,800-megawatt plant in Ujungwatu village on the Muria
\npeninsula, Central Java, in 1998 or 1999.<\/p>\n
Companies from Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United
\nStates are bidding for the power plant contract.<\/p>\n
Critics associated with the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear Society
\nand the Indonesian Forum for Environment have opposed the plans,
\nsaying that it is unsafe particularly in Java which is home to
\nnumerous active volcanoes.<\/p>\n
They also argue that a nuclear power plant would not be
\npractical economically.<\/p>\n
\"Nuclear energy is not natural resource intensive, but
\ntechnologically intensive,\" argued Iyos Subki, deputy director
\ngeneral of Batan.<\/p>\n
He said by having access to inexpensive sources of electricity
\nfrom nuclear power plants, local industries would be able to keep
\ndown production costs and be more competitive globally.<\/p>\n
When asked about the costs of building a nuclear power plant,
\nIyos noted that while coal-fire-powered plants are cheaper to
\nbuild, their fuel component is much more expensive and drives up
\nelectricity prices.<\/p>\n
He argued that even though the initial investment in a nuclear
\nplant is large, its operating costs are relatively low.<\/p>\n
Imports of uranium are also not a concern, he said, as an
\nabundance of it is available around the world at low prices.<\/p>\n
Geological surveys have also found a 10,000-ton uranium
\ndeposit in West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Iyos further pointed out that a nuclear plant using
\npressurized water reactor technology with a 1,000-megawatt
\ncapacity would need 27 tons of enriched uranium a year compared
\nto a thermal plant which needs 2.6 million tons of coal.<\/p>\n
Speaking on safety, Iyos said that nuclear energy projects
\naround the world are developed with an emphasis on safety.<\/p>\n
The aim is for the nuclear system to have a higher degree of
\nsafety than other systems, he said.<\/p>\n
Iyos explained that the design of nuclear plants is based on
\nthe concept of \"defense in depth\", which is designed for
\nprevention and early detection of deviations along with a reactor
\nshut-down mechanism if the deviations continued.<\/p>\n
In a diagram, he then presented an example of the safety
\nfeatures in a pressurized water reactor's core, which would be
\nconstructed from a 20-centimeter thick steel pressure vessel
\ninside a seven-centimeter steel containment barrier surrounded by
\na 1.5-meter concrete structure. (mds\/16)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/officials-defend-plans-for-nuclear-power-plant-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}