No need to rush

Despite strong opposition from environmentalists, the Indonesian parliament last week passed a bill which paves the way for the country's first nuclear power plant to be built by the turn of the century. President Soeharto has made no firm decision yet to proceed with the project, but its strongest supporters are putting the nuts and bolt in place quickly.

Whether Indonesia should rely on nuclear power for its future energy needs is an issue that can be decided only by Indonesians themselves. There are several key questions. Have the alternatives been explored thoroughly? If conventional resources such as oil, gas, coal, geothermal and solar energy are available, does it make economic sense to go nuclear? Is the seismologically-active Java island, prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, an appropriate place to build nuclear power plants? How can environmental concerns be met? The debate so far has been controversial because the proponents dwell largely on the benefits of going nuclear, while the critics highlight the dangers of radioactive fallout. What is obviously needed is informed debate.

Former Mines and Energy Minister Subroto noted that Indonesia has 60 sedimentary basins which could yield the equivalent of 48.4 billion barrels of petroleum and 6.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. According to him, there are also proven coal reserves of 4.6 billion tons and measured reserves of 36.6 billion tons. These are non-renewable resources, unlike nuclear energy.

But Dr. Subroto has also pointed out that the great potential for Indonesia is geothermal energy, which could generate 16,000 megawatts of energy if fully harnessed. It could thus be argued that conventional resources are available to meet Indonesia's energy needs for decades to come. It is clear at this stage, the debate whether Indonesia should opt for nuclear energy is far from settled. Environmentalists want the authorities to go slow on this project and set up an independent body to examine the issues, with some going so far as to demand a referendum on it. In view of this, it is worthwhile for policy-makers to examine all the pros and cons before making the next move.

-- The Straits Times, Singapore