Activists urge govt to drop nuclear power plant plan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists have called on the government to reconsider its plan to construct a nuclear power plant given the possible hazardous effects of such technology and the need for public transparency concerning the project.

They also demanded that the government review its own efforts to conserve energy and use alternative sources other than nuclear.

The government has revealed a plan to construct a nuclear power plant on the Muria Peninsula, Central Java, starting 2010, in anticipation of soaring electricity demand and to avoid a power crisis in the densely populated islands of Java and Bali. Chief of the National Atomic Energy Agency Soedyartomo unveiled the plan to Koran Tempo recently.

The plan, which has been put forward periodically for more than a decade now, has been criticized due to the possible danger of radiation exposure on local people and possible toxic leaks.

Adi Nugroho from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's East Java branch said on Monday it was essential that the government be transparent about the project in the public interest, particularly in regard to local residents.

"As a local resident here, the government hasn't familiarized the public with the construction plan, such as its exact location and how big it will be, reactor types, waste management, as well as how local residents will be involved," he said.

Most importantly, said Adi, was the weak environmental support for such a power plant.

"Sixty-five percent of Indonesians live on these islands (Java and Bali), making the idea of constructing a nuclear power plant here even more dangerous. The location is less than 10 kilometers from the coal-fired power plant Tanjung Jati B. It's too much," he said.

Therefore, Adi said the government should rethink the plan and instead review the possibilities of using far less dangerous energy sources, such as wind and solar.

"Besides, most developed countries in Europe are starting to decommission their nuclear power plants and shift to solar. Why are we doing this?" he argued.

Adi's comments were supported by Fathur Rohman from the Study and Research Forum for Jepara (Foskab), who said that the government should guarantee that all safety measures regarding the power plant be in place and working.

He said that when his organization, together with the Muria Research Center, conducted on-site surveys and interviews in November last year, they found that a number of communities had not been properly informed about the plan.

"The familiarization process was made only at the level of village administrations, and did not reach communities directly," he said.

The head of the advocacy dispute resolution division of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, Rino Subagyo, agreed, and said the government should conduct risk assessment and management studies concerning the project.

It should involve experts, scientists and the affected communities to come up with a clear "precaution principals", Rino said.

"A precaution principal's recommendations are of a higher standard than those mentioned in an environmental impact analysis," he added. (004)