Campaigners call on House to back atomic power plant
Campaigners call on House to back atomic power plant
JAKARTA (JP): Nuclear campaigners are calling on the House of
Representatives to support a bill which, if passed, will provide
legal grounds for the construction of nuclear power plants.
Members of the Indonesian Nuclear Society (Himni) urged the
House to disregard ongoing controversies on the planned
construction of a nuclear power plant in Gunung Muria in Central
Java.
Chairman Amiruddin said in a hearing with House Commission X,
which oversees research and technology, that the bill is badly
needed. The meeting was presided over by Suratman of the Armed
Forces (ABRI) faction.
If passed, the government-sponsored bill, submitted to the
House in January, would replace the 1964 law on atomic energy,
which is considered no longer able to keep up with current
conditions in the field of nuclear power.
State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie is
scheduled to explain the government's view on the bill before the
House's plenary session today.
Amiruddin, who is also vice chairman of the People's
Consultative Assembly, pointed out a number of articles in the
1964 law which should be amended by the bill.
The law, for instance, has no ruling on nuclear power plants,
he said. In addition, it rules that the National Atomic Energy
Agency (BATAN) is in charge of both managing and supervising the
use of atomic energy.
The ruling, he argued, is against the 1994 International
Convention on Nuclear Safety, which stipulates that the two
functions -- management and supervision -- be handled by separate
agencies.
The association, whose members comprise scientists,
legislators and BATAN employees, was set up in 1995 to campaign
for nuclear power. It openly expressed its support yesterday for
the government's plan to build the nuclear power plant in Central
Java by 2000.
Association member Suyitno said the nuclear power plant is
needed to satisfy industrial electricity demands, especially in
Java and Bali, which other power plants have failed to adequately
meet.
Critics have said the bill was introduced only to provide
legal grounds for the planned nuclear power plant.
The controversial bill also strives to include private sectors
and foreign countries in the plant's construction.
Canada is the first country to offer its expertise and
investment to contribute to Indonesia's nuclear program. Prime
Minister Jean Chretien discussed the idea with President Soeharto
during his visit to Indonesia, five days before the bill was
received by the House. (01)