Vice President inaugurates 2MW nuclear reactor<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Indonesia entered a new phase in its nuclear
\ndevelopment on Saturday when the country's first two-megawatt
\nreactor was inaugurated.<\/p>\n
The reactor, called Triga 2000, was inaugurated by Vice
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri at the National Atomic Energy
\nAgency (Batan) research center here. Also present was State
\nMinister of Research and Technology A.S. Hikam.<\/p>\n
The primary function of the reactor will be nuclear research
\nand technology development for, among other things, developing
\nnuclear isotopes for the health industry.<\/p>\n
The Triga 2000 reactor is not a new construction. It was
\ninitially built in 1961 under the name of Triga Mark II. It
\noriginally had a capacity of 250 kilowatts. Then in 1971 the
\nreactor's capacity was increased to one megawatt.<\/p>\n
The reactor was also the first one to be built solely by
\nIndonesian experts and scientists.<\/p>\n
In the health sector, the reactor has help produce X-ray
\nmachines and renogram machines to test kidney function.<\/p>\n
\"With the outmost effort, we managed to increase the capacity
\nof this reactor. And with this effort we are now going to design,
\nbuild and operate another research reactor, Kartini, in
\nYogyakarta,\" Megawati said in her inauguration speech.<\/p>\n
Megawati further urged Indonesians to give more attention to
\ntechnological research and development.<\/p>\n
A.S. Hikam said the country should be proud of this latest
\naccomplishment because the reactor was well built and had its
\ncapacity increased by Indonesian experts from Batan.<\/p>\n
Batan chief M. Iyos Subki said that in increasing the
\nreactor's capacity, the agency spent over US$1.16 million to
\nimport spare parts and another Rp 1.1 billion ($135,000) on
\nlocally made components.<\/p>\n
The added that the increased capacity was achieved on June 14.<\/p>\n
Iyos also said the project was conducted in cooperation with
\nGeneral-Atomic California, which worked in a supervisory and
\nadvisory capacity.<\/p>\n
Indonesia earlier planned to build the country's first nuclear
\npower plant, an 800 megawatt plant on the slopes of an active
\nvolcano at the Muria Peninsula in Central Java.<\/p>\n
The plant would have been the first in a series of 12 on the
\nnorthern coast of Java with a total capacity of 7,000 MW.<\/p>\n
This plan has been suspended.<\/p>\n
The country currently relies on hydro, coal and fuel generated
\nelectricity. (25\/dja)<\/p>",
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