Nuclear debate untimely: Sarwono

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday that the nuclear energy controversy is "premature" since the government has not yet decided to go ahead with its plan to construct a nuclear power plant.

"The government still sees (nuclear power) as a last alternative energy source," he told a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission X for science and technology. The meeting was presided over by legislator H.M. Muas of the dominant Golkar faction.

According to an energy usage projection issued by the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Indonesia would not resort to nuclear energy until at least 2003, he said.

Sarwono's statement, however, was contradictory to that of another official. Sagala Hutabarat, a deputy chief at the National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) said in Semarang last month that, despite strong objections from environmentalists, the plan to build the nuclear plant on the Central Java's Muria peninsula is expected to go ahead.

Hutabarat said that the government regards nuclear energy as the best option to meet the country's need for power, though it is willing to listen to other opinions.

He also said that nuclear energy is a good option to meet the country's increasing energy demands because other sources such as oil, hydropower, geothermal and solar energy have "weaknesses".

During the meeting yesterday, P.L. Coutrier of the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal), who accompanied Sarwono, said that the Japanese New Jec consultancy has completed a feasibility study on the site for the project.

"The (consultancy firm) only studied the site selection for the project, while the study on the regional impacts of the power plant will be conducted only after (the government decides) the type of reactors to be used and the planned capacity of the plant," he was quoted by Antara as saying. (swe)